The primary objective of this Topic Area is to demonstrate and validate modeling and measurements of military mission sounds and effects (e.g., noise, sonic booms, associated vibrations) on built and natural environments for expedited analysis under environmental regulations. Specific objectives include:

• Validate noise contours of existing tools under a variety of micrometeorology environments and vegetative cover found on Department of Defense (DoD) lands.
• Demonstrate and validate best-practice methods for measuring blast noise from large weapons or rockets and their noise propagation dynamics.
• Determine the best metrics to identify biologically significant thresholds (physical damage, behavioral changes) for effects from noise/overpressure/vibration on surrounding communities of humans and target wildlife species (e.g., bats, birds, reptiles) across a variety of scenarios (e.g., day/night, atmospheric conditions, vegetation/topography, distance from source).
• Address how various mitigation actions reduce impacts (e.g., for rockets--the orientation of deluge system, amount of deluge water used, height of barriers around launch pad).
• Evaluate currently identified biological or cultural resource thresholds used in environmental analysis and assess if such thresholds should be primarily associated with peak noise level, noise over the entire event, sonic boom overpressure, repeated exposures to the noise/booms, or other variables.

Successful projects selected under this Topic Area will provide updated tools, thresholds, and impact analysis to expedite review of mission-related noise on nearby communities and ecosystems. Successful projects will fill a gap in the science of noise and sonic effects on humans and wildlife from new spacecraft, aircraft, weapons, and other military systems and support analyses necessary for range and environmental planning. Validated tools will improve noise mitigation options for future mission activities.

Noise and other environmental impacts must be assessed per the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for a variety of mission activities, including new weapons systems prior to their fielding. Proposed actions resulting from installation operational changes, range modifications, or other events, often lead to additional NEPA noise impact assessments. DoD components also perform noise assessments to inform compatible use programs, designed to protect military training and testing missions. DoD Instruction 4715.13 requires program managers to assess military noise impacts in the defense acquisition process, and for noise data to be collected and reported to conduct environmental analysis. However, a standardized method for capturing the data required to perform these assessments does not currently exist, and models used for assessing impacts of noise on humans may not be adequate for meeting the evaluation criteria for wildlife or other targets.

As force modernization rapidly brings forth more powerful and unconventional weapons systems or rapidly changes range configurations, rapid and accurate noise assessments becomes increasingly needed. Obtaining noise assessments is time-consuming and costly, which slows the time to test and train on new weapons systems. A proactive approach to noise measurement and assessment is a cost-effective way of protecting the DoD’s investment in new weapons systems and overall mission readiness.