Military Facilities Management for Safe, Functional Base Operations

By Dave Clifton
Content Strategist
SpaceIQ

Military bases function as self-sustaining ecosystems. For many, they eat, sleep, work, and relax on-base, and they rely on the facilities available to them daily. Depending on the size of the base, this means accommodating thousands of people across all aspects of daily life. To do this takes a keen focus on military facilities management.

In many ways, facilities management for military bases is akin to overseeing a college campus, or even a small city. There are so many different aspects to consider outside of what you might plan for when it comes to a commercial workplace, for example. It’s not just about maintaining the safety and accessibility of facilities—it’s about ensuring they can handle the constant demands of an on-base population.

What is military facilities management?

Military facility management needs to accomplish three specific goals. First, it involves keeping facilities open and accessible to the people who rely on them daily. Second, it needs to support and facilitate smooth base operations. Finally, facilities management in a military capacity needs to focus on safety, security, and protocol, to meet stringent military expectations.

Meeting these three goals is a function of facilities management: overseeing and orchestrating facilities within the base ecosystem. It spans everything from keeping the lights on, to promoting proper security, to ensuring people have the spaces they need to accomplish the activities they’re tasked with. It’s a monumental task that’s ever-changing and always present, which is why it requires a concerted effort from base administrators.

Finally, cost factors in. Military bases are expensive to operate, yet essential. Proper facilities management ensures the alignment of budgets and base upkeep, and seeks to optimize both wherever possible. From maintenance and repair to cost-centered decisions about how to use facilities, management encompasses all aspects of costing.

The benefits of facilities management for the military

There are a multitude of benefits that come from good facilities management. Well-managed facilities equate to efficiency and optimization across all facets of base operation. They touch everyone from on-base personnel, to administrators, to those tasked with budgeting, and beyond. Some of the most prevalent benefits include:

• Safe and secure facilities that promote accessibility, yet safeguard access
• Streamlined base operations through better space efficiency and utilization
• More affordable facilities and better budgeting for upkeep and maintenance
• Better transparency when it comes to base operations and activities
• Easier management, upkeep, and improvement for space across facilities
• Better adaptability and more flexibility to accommodate changing demands

The more attuned to base ops and facilities administrators are, the more control they have in shaping them around the needs of on-base personnel. Whether it’s upkeep and maintenance to keep facilities safe and accessible or decision-making surrounding how to allocate and use space, facilities management is at the core. It’s a growing pillar of base ops management—one that’s central to efficiency.

How does military facility management software help?

As mentioned, military bases are highly complex ecosystems that are constantly in flux. Not only are there a multitude of different on-base activities, those activities change day to day. Ensuring the base ecosystem supports them and the groups engaged in them means having a strong grasp on facilities. This high level of oversight is only possible through military facility management software.

Software consolidates the innumerable aspects of military facilities into an easy-to-read and digest dashboard of insights. From tracking costs, to understanding space allocation, to identifying inefficiencies, to observing trends—streaming data from FM software helps shrink the scope of base ops to a manageable level, without sacrificing important elements. It gives administrators the data they need to affect and measure change that improves the on-base experience.

Military facility management also serves an important role in tracking and reporting information about base ops. Military facilities are always under scrutiny for how they function, fund allocation, safety and security standards, and more. These important metrics come together in software, with reporting capabilities that generate insights in seconds. Whether they’re reporting to superiors or budgeting for the future, facility managers have the data they need to bring efficiency and improvement to an ever-changing military base ecosystem.

Cultivate facilities that support base operations

From servicemembers living on-base to the civilians who visit and work there, military facilities management needs to support anyone relying on the base’s ecosystem. From simple upkeep of the buildings themselves to the nuanced repair and maintenance of specialized equipment, it all falls under the realm of facilities oversight. Administrators need to serve as the all-seeing, all-knowing force behind keeping the base’s facilities up and running, to support everyone relying on them.

Facility management software is imperative in a setting as complex as a military base. Whether it’s protecting the integrity of vital systems or ensuring the health and safety of the people on-base, the practice is encompassing.

Keep reading: Military Space Planning: Organized Administration for any Branch