About the Department of War Cultural Resources Program
The Department of War’s (DOW) ability to conduct training, testing, and essential operations is vital to preparing a more lethal and mission-ready combat force. To meet these readiness requirements, warfighters depend on safe and unencumbered access to training lands and the built environment to prepare them for combat. The Department maintains thousands of historic and culturally significant resources across the United States and its territories that are an integral part of installations, and the defense industrial base required for the military to house, train, and sustain its force. As the warfighter trains and fights, DOW cultural resources provide the backbone and foundation of the warrior ethos, defense mission, and can act as a force-multiplier to represent our proud military history and traditions.
The DOW Cultural Resources (CR) Program provides Military personnel tools for operating and maintaining historic facilities and other mission critical cultural resources. Located in the Office of the Secretary of War for Energy, Installations & Environment, the Cultural Resources Program provides the Military Departments with the policy, guidance, and resources needed to implement cultural resource management strategies and comply with relevant federal laws and Executive Orders.
The Department’s historic property portfolio includes:
- 11 active Program Comments that reduce or eliminate individual project consultations
- 4 Nationwide Programmatic Agreements (includes Army Alternate Procedures), which allow for tailored and streamlined consultations
- 41 individual National Historic Landmarks
- Over 20,000 historic properties eligible for or listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)