Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. (August 30, 2024): Most Americans do not realize the critical role our Soldiers play in fighting the rash of wildfires across our nation. In this photo by Christopher Grissett, Soldiers from the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division deploy as part of the Department of Defense wildland firefighting response.

For years, the Army Northern Command’s Joint Force Land Component Command has dispatched active-duty Soldiers to help battle the flames when requested by the National Interagency Fire Center and approved by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The Command rapidly deploys military ground personnel to support civil authorities to protect people, property, and land. This assistance includes a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System equipped with aircraft, military helicopters, and ground forces capable of supporting firefighting efforts.

The Department of Defense (DOD) manages nearly twenty-seven million acres of public lands that are home to over five hundred threatened or endangered species as well as native plants and animals that can only be found in certain geographical areas. A key part of land management is conducting prescribed fires and mechanical fuel reduction to lessen the severity of these blazes should they occur.

Approximately one million acres of DOD land burns each year which poses a significant threat to military installations, training areas, and their respective habitats and ecosystems. Recent climate patterns have increased the frequency, size, and severity of wildfires and the military is making sure our Soldiers have the resources, training, and equipment to battle these fires on behalf of the American people.