A Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) have been prepared by the Department of the Air Force (DAF) to consider the potential environmental consequences associated with implementation of Testing and Training with Defensive Countermeasures (chaff and flares) in the continental United States.

The PEA assesses the Proposed Action to continue use of legacy defensive countermeasures, their replacements, and the use of new defensive countermeasures at current levels in DAF testing and military training programs within the continental United States where their use is approved. The purpose of the proposal is to provide for realistic testing and training with legacy, replacement, and new defensive countermeasures designed for advanced military aircraft that are capable of defending against modern air-to-air and surface-to-air missile systems. Pilots need to train with the legacy and new, more advanced, defensive countermeasures to provide realistic training in order to ensure that they are sufficiently trained and equipped to survive in combat.

The Final PEA and FONSI may be reviewed or downloaded from this website by clicking here or by clicking on the Documentation menu item on the website navigation area above.

The DAF published a Notice of Availability of the Draft PEA for Testing and Training with Defensive Countermeasures and proposed FONSI in an online press release published on March 20, 2023, at https://finance.yahoo.com/news/air-force-announces-availability-draft-222800810.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall. To further encourage comments, a supplemental release was published on April 5, 2023, at https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/23/04/b31686573/air-force-announces-the-availability-of-a-draft-programmatic-environmental-assessment-for-testing-. No comments were received during the 45-day review and comment period.