Photo of a unique rock structure with a tree centered beneath the natural bridge made by the rocks.

Cultural resources are defined by Army and Department of Defense policy as:

Historic properties, as defined in the National Historic Preservation Act
Cultural Items, as defined in the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
Archeological resources, as defined in the Archeological Resources Protection Act
Sacred sites, as defined in Executive Order 13007
Archeological collections, as defined in 36 CFR Part 79, Curation of Federally-Owned and Administered Archaeological Collections

Management of Department of Defense cultural resources is guided by DoDI 4715.16, Cultural Resources Management. Management of Army cultural resources is guided by Chapter 6 of Army Regulation (AR) 200-1, Environmental Protection and Enhancement.

The Army fosters Cultural Resources Communities of Practice (CoP). The Cultural Resources CoP is a forum through which installations can work together and share experiences and lessons learned to further protect Army historic properties and minimize restrictions to Army operations and training due to cultural resources compliance requirements.

What has the Army done?

The Army is a leader in federal cultural resources management. It administers more than 100,000 cultural resources on some 15 million acres of land. The Cultural Resources Management Program at the U.S. Army Environmental Command (USAEC) assists installations in meeting their compliance needs with respect to these resources by developing programmatic compliance solutions and technical documents, and providing technical support to installations. The Cultural Resources Program seeks to support the mission by improving sustainability within the Army and developing cost-effective tools to improve compliance practices.

Why is this important?

Army cultural resources include:

- 4,000 historic buildings listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places

- 54,000 archeological sites

- 17 National Historic Landmarks containing over 2,500 buildings

- Native American Sacred Sites on 31 installations

- 22,400 cubic feet of archeological artifact collections

Read more about it:

Technical Documents

Integrated Cultural Resource Management Plans (ICRMPs)

Army Alternate Procedures

Native American Cultural Resources

Historic Buildings and Landscapes

National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 as amended (16 USC 470-470w)

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (25 USC 3001-3013)

Archeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (16 USC 470aa-470mm)

Executive Order 13007, Indian Sacred Sites

36 CFR Part 79, Curation of Federally-Owned and Administered Archaeological Collections

DoDI 4715.16, Cultural Resources Management

AR 200-1, Environmental Protection and Enhancement