At the Association of Defense Communities’ Installation Innovation Forum (IIF) in Monterey, Calif., national security experts and defense community leaders tackled one of today’s most pressing questions: how can the U.S. defend the homeland in a world where threats - digital, physical, and environmental - are increasingly borderless?
Speakers underscored that defending the homeland now extends far beyond foreign battlefields. During “The Homeland” general session on Oct. 28, they cautioned that we’ve long assumed distance means safety but in an era of drones and cyber warfare, that assumption no longer holds true.
Panelists reflected on how the nature of conflict and deterrence has changed. Brett Freedman, Senior Director of Emerging Technology at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology noted, unlike the unity seen after 9/11, today’s risks are diffused and harder to visualize. The next wake-up call may not come from a single catastrophic event; it could come from a drone's incursion, a cyber disruption, or an infrastructure failure that shakes our sense of stability.
As these conversations unfolded, it was clear that defending the homeland is as much about resilience as it is about response. That’s where defense partners like Corvias are making a measurable impact. By investing in sustainable infrastructure and modernizing the built environment across military installations, Corvias is helping the military strengthen readiness at the foundation level where service members live, work, and train.
Corvias’ approach focuses on wellness-driven and energy-efficient facilities that enhance reliability during crises. From advanced water and air quality systems to grid-independent power solutions, the company’s work helps support an installation’s capacity to remain operational even amid cyber, climate, or power disruptions. These projects are part of a broader movement with the built environment that supports both human and mission resilience.
“Installation resilience is homeland defense,” said a defense community leader at the forum. “Our ability to operate, recover, and protect our people starts with the strength of the environments we build.”
By integrating sustainable design, smart technology, and long-term partnerships, Corvias is enabling installations to evolve into adaptive, self-sustaining communities capable of withstanding today’s multifaceted threats and ensuring readiness for whatever comes next.