In July 2019, the Secretary of Defense stood up a task force to ensure a coordinated approach on DoD-wide efforts to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Section 2714 of title 10, United States Code codifies the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Task Force and identifies its members and goals.
The PFAS Task Force is focused on five goals (clicking on each goal below will expand the content area at the bottom of the page).
DoD’s PFAS Task Force is working to address PFAS issues in a cohesive, consistent manner while coordinating and communicating with external stakeholders. The Task Force is working on these efforts in coordination with other Federal agencies to ensure a consistent approach to this national issue. The Task Force has made significant progress toward:
The PFAS Task Force will continue to identify and provide DoD with the tools needed to address the effects of its PFAS releases, and to ensure that the Department continues to protect the health of its Service Members, their families, the DoD civilian workforce, and the communities in which DoD serves.
One of the Department’s priorities is to eliminate the use of AFFF at military installations. DoD has stopped using AFFF for land-based testing or training unless it can be completely contained and disposed, and as of October 2023, no longer purchases AFFF for use on military installations. Additionally, DoD invested significant resources in research to identify PFAS-free substitutes for AFFF that meet the military’s stringent firefighting performance criteria. The NDAA for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Section 322 requires DoD to cease use of AFFF on military installations no later than October 1, 2024, unless a one-year waiver to extend the statutory deadline is submitted. The NDAA provides that the Secretary of Defense may extend the prohibition deadline by one year with the submission of a briefing and a written certification. The briefing was provided in June 2024, and on August 2, 2024, the Secretary of Defense provided Congress with certification of the waiver. The prohibition of use of AFFF on military installations is now extended to October 1, 2025. View the certification here.
The Department of the Navy led the creation of the new military specification (MILSPEC) to provide a direct replacement for AFFF used in existing DoD firefighting systems. The creation of the MILSPEC involved major stakeholders from across the DoD and included a broad technical review by other federal agencies, state governments, representatives of the firefighting foam manufacturing industry, civil aviation stakeholders, research scientists from industry and academia, private consultants, and professional organizations from the firefighting community. The resultant Military Performance-based Specification (MIL-PRF) -32725 “FIRE EXTINGUISHING AGENT, FLUORINE-FREE FOAM (F3) LIQUID CONCENTRATE, FOR LAND-BASED, FRESH WATER APPLICATIONS” was published on January 6, 2023.
The transition to fluorine-free foam (F3) began in September 2023 and F3 is already in use at some DoD installations. The Department is committed to replacing AFFF with fluorine-free alternatives (such as F3s, water-sprinkler systems, and other engineering-based technologies) and has begun the transition process in more than 6,000 mobile assets and approximately 1,000 facilities. Additional F3 products are undergoing qualification testing to meet DoD MILSPEC standards and the Department continues funding for research, demonstration, and validation projects aimed at improving the firefighting performance of F3 agents.
Addressing DoD’s PFAS releases is at the core of the Department’s commitment to protect the health and safety of its Service members, their families, the DoD civilian workforce, and the communities in which DoD serves. The DoD PFAS Task Force has developed policy and direction to ensure DoD’s actions are consistent across the military departments in fulfilling its PFAS cleanup responsibility. These policies provide guidance for addressing releases to the environment from DoD activities as required by the Federal cleanup law (i.e., the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA)).
DoD fully investigates a potential release and determines the appropriate cleanup actions based on risk and prioritizes cleanup in communities with the highest risk of exposure. There are currently more than 700 installations where DoD or the National Guard may have used or potentially released PFAS. DoD is performing Preliminary Assessments/Site Inspections (PA/SIs) at these installations. The PA/SI is the first phase of the cleanup process and may take one to three years to complete. See the progress and status of PFAS investigations here.
With support from the Task Force, DoD recently issued guidance to the military departments to expedite cleanup actions by implementing interim actions to address PFAS migration from DoD installations and National Guard facilities. Examples of interim cleanup actions include removal of soil “hot spots” and installation of groundwater extraction systems to mitigate further PFAS plume migration or impacts to groundwater from an on-base PFAS source area.
PFAS in Drinking Water Off-base: DoD conducts sampling of drinking water off-base to ensure the Department identifies potential impacts of PFAS resulting from DoD activities. Off-base drinking water includes non-DoD drinking water systems and private wells located outside the installation boundary. DoD is working to integrate the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) values established in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) into its cleanup process. DoD established policy on September 3, 2024 to ensure a coordinated approach to prioritizing appropriate cleanup actions based on risk. Where DoD is the known source of PFAS, DoD will initiate interim actions to address private drinking water wells impacted by PFAS from DoD activities where concentrations are known to be at or above three times the MCL values (i.e., PFOA = 12 ppt; PFOS = 12 ppt; PFHxS = 30 ppt; GenX = 30 ppt; PFNA = 30 ppt; HI = 3). This approach prioritizes action where PFAS levels from DoD releases are the highest, rather than delay action at these locations while ongoing remedial investigations continue. To expedite implementation of more enduring solutions, DoD will focus on sustainable solutions including providing connections to municipal systems; installing whole house treatment systems; and providing point of use treatment systems.
DoD is providing the final testing results for off-base drinking water located in “covered areas” in accordance with Section 345 of the NDAA for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. Covered areas, as defined by Section 345, are locations in the United States that are adjacent to and down gradient from a military installation, Formerly Used Defense Site, or National Guard facility. DoD’s final testing results are posted here. As of the end of second quarter of FY 2023, DoD has posted 337 final drinking water reports. These reports included over 7,000 sampling results. Additional information on DoD’s efforts to monitor and address PFAS in drinking water can be found here.
PFAS in Drinking Water On-base DoD continues to test and monitor PFAS in DoD owned and operated drinking water systems on installations. DoD has taken action at locations where on-base drinking water exceeded 70 parts per trillion (ppt) of PFOS and PFOA.
On April 26, 2024, the EPA published a final federal National Primary Drinking Water Regulation establishing drinking water standards for certain PFAS under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This rule applies to public drinking water systems. EPA’s drinking water rule includes enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) for five PFAS. It also includes a Hazard Index (HI) MCL for mixtures of certain PFAS. The rule provides five years for regulated public water systems to comply. The Department is collecting the necessary sampling information and is taking actions to ensure compliance within the required 5-year timeframe.
PFAS Destruction and Disposal Options: DoD issued PFAS interim disposal guidance to help DoD make informed decisions in the evaluation of existing PFAS destruction and disposal options. This DoD guidance applies only to DoD and identifies the considerations the DoD Components will follow before disposing of PFAS-containing materials. It directs the DoD Components to store, dispose of, or destroy PFAS in the safest, most effective, and technologically sound manner. DoD worked closely with EPA to incorporate the best currently available safeguards on disposal to ensure PFAS cleanup advances the Administration’s priorities on the environment, public health, and environmental justice. This guidance is interim because it will be updated annually based on developing PFAS destruction and disposal technologies, monitoring the effectiveness and potential environmental effects of all technologies, and collaborating Administration-wide on best practices. DoD needs a comprehensive destruction and disposal PFAS strategy because of the large volumes of PFAS-containing materials it generates from its cleanup program, its replacement of certain firefighting foam that contains PFAS, and its current emergency use and spill response to releases of this PFAS-containing firefighting foam. DoD has also issued guidance on “Incineration of Materials Containing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances” that continues the temporary prohibition on incineration of DoD’s PFAS-containing materials.
The science on PFAS is evolving. There is extensive research being done to determine where PFAS exist and what impact they have on human health and the environment. DoD continues to monitor research efforts and health risk information to better understand potential health effects of PFAS exposure. DoD is supporting scientific health research and has provided $90 million to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to conduct a multi-site health study and exposure assessments in the communities around eight current and former military installations.
The DoD performs annual occupational exams that include offering PFAS blood testing to its Active-duty military, Reserves, and DoD civilian employee firefighters, and is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to determine whether career fields, beyond firefighters, may have occupational PFAS exposures. DoD issued policy and procedures for implementation of firefighter blood testing in September 2020 and PFAS blood testing is part of their annual exams.
DoD has also supported efforts to:
The Task Force supports ongoing outreach activities that involve coordinating and collaborating with Federal agencies and communicating to the public, Congress, and other stakeholders about the Department’s efforts to find an alternative to Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), understand and address the impacts to human health from PFAS, and clean up PFAS releases caused by past DoD activities. These outreach activities include:
The Task Force is supporting these outreach activities to ensure open and consistent coordination and communication inside and outside DoD on its efforts to address PFAS. Additionally, the DoD Components continue to engage with the public, Congress, and other stakeholders on site-specific PFAS matters.
The Department is focused on research to identify technologies that can be implemented to expedite the cleanup of DoD’s PFAS releases and an alternative to aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). DoD’s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) funded more than 170 projects since 2011 addressing the management of PFAS in the environment, as well as the development of PFAS-free alternatives to AFFF.
Overall, DoD supports over 200 technology development and demonstration projects, including studies about:
DoD has invested over $160 million through FY 2022 with another $60 million planned through Fiscal Year 2025 with SERDP and ESTCP to advance technologies to expedite the cleanup process. DoD publishes summaries of its ongoing PFAS projects and final reports on the SERDP and ESTCP website. Additionally, SERDP and ESTCP post summaries of their workshops and planning meetings as well as tools and trainings on the website.