Evaluation of USFF's Environmental Outreach Initiatives

Abstract

Project Summary: This Naval Research Program (NRP) project evaluated US Fleet Forces Command's (USFF) environmental assessment program. This study addressed five questions: 1. What is the best practice guidance from the extant literature about environmental outreach program evaluation? Deliverable: U.S. Navy Environmental Outreach Evaluation Guidebook 2. Using environmental assessment best practices, how robust is USFF's environmental outreach assessment. Deliverable: Assessment of USFF's Environmental Outreach Program 2014-2017 3. How USFF might improve their media analysis to better achieve their objectives and desired stakeholder effects? Deliverable: Media Daily Clip Tracking and Coding System 4. Do existing activities measures of performance (MOPs) link to desired stakeholder effects measures of effectiveness (MOEs) and commander's intent? What environmental assessment dashboard might be relevant for planners and leaders? Deliverable: Evaluation of Existing Tools and Platforms 5. What are the perceptions of selected regulators about U.S. Navy environmental practices? Deliverable: Regulator Survey Results. The study's output includes: An Environmental Outreach Guidebook that can be used across the US Navy to better plan and execute their environmental outreach programs. It draws on national best practices and exemplars in outreach assessment. Second, using standards from the Guidebook, we provided a systematic evaluation for four years of USFF's environmental outreach assessments, 2014-2017. This part of the study provides strengths and suggestions for USFF's environmental outreach program improvement. Third, we developed a daily media clips tracking and coding system as a way of monitoring environment- related issues that could predict concerns and influence Navy operations for leading, lagging, and coincident measures. Fourth, we developed a procedure to evaluate return on investment for outreach activities as well as an example dashboard that could be useful for senior leaders to monitor and assess outreach programs. Last, we facilitated the development and implementation of a regulator feedback system that would allow USFF to better understand how these important stakeholders view USFF's efforts.