SERDP and ESTCP are developing and demonstrating the science, tools, and techniques that enable the Department of Defense to serve as an effective steward of the cultural resources on its installations and ranges, while enabling continued military use for training and testing. These resources include historic buildings, districts, structures, objects, and archaeological sites.

DoD’s assets represent the full scope of U.S. military history, connecting military personnel and civilians with their history and traditions. DoD manages seventy-five National Historic Landmarks, as well as hundreds of historic entries listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These sites encompass more than 19,000 individual historic properties located on more than 200 military installations. In addition, DoD owns numerous structures eligible for consideration as historical properties.

DoD also has responsibility for archaeological resources distributed throughout the nation. More than 150,000 archaeological sites are located on training and testing lands and waters. Preserving the integrity of these resources is a significant aspect of DoD’s stewardship responsibilities. These responsibilities at all times must be balanced with the military’s primary mission of training troops and testing weapons systems.

DoD will continue to promote and interpret the cultural resources under its care. To enhance this mission, SERDP and ESTCP investments are focused on the following:

Historic Buildings – Tools that enable cultural resource managers to evaluate the structural integrity of historical structures, assess the reuse capability of historic structures, and improve the environmental performance of historic buildings while preserving their historic integrity.

Archaeology – Cost-effective and efficient technologies that can detect and evaluate subsurface archeological resources on installations and ranges.

Predictive Modeling – Models for both surface and subsurface archaeological resources that better enable cultural resource managers to predict the location and significance of archaeological resources.

Resource Impacts – Improved understanding of whether and how military activities affect archaeological resources and development of mitigation measures to avoid or minimize impacts to such resources, while enabling continued military training and testing.