Deputy Secretary of Defense, Kathleen Hicks
U.S. Defense Dept.
As a “Historic, dangerous, prolonged and unprecedented” heat wave engulfs the western U.S, as well as parts of Russia and Europe, the top military brass was reminding us that climate change is also a fundamental national security challenge.
“The adverse impacts of climate change are already being felt across the Joint Force in terms of increased operational demands, adverse impacts on our installations and new requirements for equipment and formations able to operate in a world defined by climate change and as a contributing factor to regional instability,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said at a recent Congressional hearing on the Defense Department budget.
Here are the key ways climate change affects national security and is “already a major drain on our budget,” as detailed by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks at the ARPA-E 2021 Energy…