Western Regional Partnership

The purpose of the WRP is to establish a regional

senior policy level partnership among the Department
of Defense, other Federal agencies, and State and
Tribal executive leadership in the states of Arizona,
California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

Western Regional Partnership (WRP) Statement of Need

The West’s population growth exceeds that of all other regions. This increasing population
puts more pressure on infrastructure systems such as energy, transportation and wildlife
ecosystems and at the same time can impact the military. Long range, sustainable planning
is essential to accommodate growth, sustain the economic health of the region and to protect
public health and safety while at the same time securing the viability of the military mission.
Establishment of the Western Regional Partnership will eliminate redundancies in resource
management and create a strong working entity to address common goals. Additionally, this
senior policy forum will proactively address potential conflicts and develop solutions.

Background Information
The Deputy Under Secretaries of Defense for Readiness and Installations and Environment,
and the Directorate of Test and Evaluation, as well as military entities in the western region,
support the formation of a regional partnership in the West to address issues of mutual
concern. A similar partnership effort (Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and
Sustainability) has assisted with enhanced regional planning and communication in the states
of Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Partnership Structure and Focus

WRP partners include Department of Defense, other Federal agencies, and State and Tribal
Executive Leadership in the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.
Non-governmental organizations participate in committee focus areas. The initial Western
Regional Partnership Principals’ meeting (held in November 2007) identified critical western
regional issues:
• Border
• Disaster Preparedness
• Energy
• GIS
• Land Use
• Wildlife Corridors, Critical Habitat, and Threatened and Endangered Species

WRP Committees are working to address better regional and interagency cooperation to
solve regional issues. WRP aims to combine an effective working relationship with a good
Geographical Information System (GIS) to result in value-added benefits for all partners. For
more information see: www.wrpinfo.org