CLIMATE ACTION 2030

Department of the Navy
Top left: US Marine Corps Sgt. Demarcus Tunstall, a motor transport operator assigned to I Marine Expeditionary Force Support Battalion, during convoy training at Marine 

Corps Base Camp Pendleton, January 16, 2019. Top right: Ice Camp Sargo, located in the Arctic Circle, served as the main stage for Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2016, a five-week exercise 

designed to research, test, and evaluate operational capabilities in the region. ICEX 2016 allows the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to assess operational readiness in the Arctic, 

increase experience in the region, advance understanding of the Arctic environment, and strengthen strategic partnerships, March 13, 2016. Middle left: Firefighters with the 

Camp Pendleton Fire Department combat a fire in the Santa Margarita/De Luz Housing area on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, on July 6, 2018. Middle right:

U.S. Marines help push a car out of a flooded area on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina during Hurricane Florence, Sept. 15, 2018. Bottom: Waves break over the 

Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) as the ship receives fuel from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) during a refueling 

at sea, Dec 24, 2011.

Cover Left: The guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) transits through a lightning storm in the South China Sea. Wayne E. Meyer is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area 

of operations to support regional stability, reassure partners and allies, and maintain a presence postured to respond to any crisis ranging from humanitarian assistance to contingency 

operations, Oct 1, 2019. Cover Top Right: The national ensign flies above the Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Illinois (SSN 786) during Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2022. ICEX 2022 was 

a three-week exercise that allowed the Navy to assess its operational readiness in the Arctic, increase experience in the region, advance understanding of the Arctic environment, and 

continue to develop relationships with other services, allies, and partner organizations, March 6, 2022. Cover Center Right: Soldiers assigned to the 10th Mountain Division stand security 

at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan. Soldiers and Marines are supporting the orderly drawdown of designated personnel in Afghanistan, Aug.15, 2021. Cover bottom 

right: Sailors participate in a search and rescue swimmer exercise in the Persian Gulf, Feb. 23, 2020.
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 1

FORWARD

Climate change is one of the most destabilizing forces of our time, exacerbating other national security concerns and posing serious readiness challenges. Our naval forces, the United States Navy and 

Marine Corps, are in the crosshairs of the climate crisis: the threat increases instability and demands 

on our forces while simultaneously impacting our capacity to respond to those demands. 

It is because of this direct threat to mission that I chose climate as a focal point for my tenure as 

Secretary. While this reality is one that the Department of Navy (DON) has faced for some time, it is 

a reality that we face with new urgency and resolve. 

On January 27, 2021, as one of his first acts, President Biden prioritized climate change as an essential 

element of national security in Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. 

Secretary Austin has championed that prioritization in the Department of Defense. Partners and allies 

around the globe, the economy, and the security ecosystem are similarly focused and committed. 

For the Department of Navy, this is existential. If we do not act, as sea levels rise, bases like Norfolk 

Naval Base and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island will be severely tested in their ability to 

support their missions. If temperatures continue to rise, the oceans will get warmer, creating more 

destructive storms requiring our Fleets and Marine Corps forces to increase their operational tempo 

to respond. 

We will see more extreme heat events such as the record-setting heatwaves in the normally temperate 

Pacific Northwest, and the expansive fires and unprecedented droughts in the West. These events 

mean more black flag days with temperatures at-or-above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, requiring strenuous 

activity – including mission-essential training – be curtailed because it is not safe. It means strain 

on the grid as people compete for energy to cool off, making mission and our people vulnerable to 

an outage. 

If temperatures continue to rise, and disease develops and spreads, our hospital ships and medical 

personnel will be called on to deploy more in support of nations in need. As we see increased instability in parts of the world strained by climate-driven water and food insecurity or migration, the 

blue-green Gator Navy team will need to support more of these increasing humanitarian aid and 

disaster relief missions. 

For these reasons and so many others integral to our mission, the Department of Navy will take on 

the urgency of the climate crisis and harness our power to make change – as an environmental 

leader and a market driver. For the DON, bold climate action is a mission imperative. In this decisive 

decade, we have no other alternative. 

As a complementary document to this strategy, I am issuing to the Department of the Navy implementation guidance for climate action, directing the development of plans of action and milestones 

outlining how we will achieve the goals set forward here. My lead for this effort will be the Assistant 

Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment. It is my expectation that every 

individual, command, and component will take an active role and clear responsibility for integrating 

climate action into every aspect of the Department of Navy mission.

Carlos Del Toro

Secretary of the Navy
2 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 3
4 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030

DEFINITIONS

Adaptation: adjustment in natural or human systems in anticipation of or response to a 

changing environment in a way that effectively uses beneficial opportunities or reduces 

negative efforts. Source: DoD Directive 4715.21, Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience

Carbon Sequestration: the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. 

Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Climate Change: variations in average weather conditions that persist over multiple 

decades or longer that encompass increases and decreases in temperature, shifts in 

precipitation, and changing risk of certain types of severe weather events. Source: Office 

of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, DoD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms

CO2 Equivalent (CO2e): the number of metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions with the 

same global warming potential as one metric ton of another greenhouse gas. Source: U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency 

Environmental Justice: the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, 

regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Source: 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Global Warming Potential (GWP): a measure of how much energy the emissions of one 

ton of a gas will absorb over a given period, relative to the emissions of one ton of carbon 

dioxide. GWP is used to convert any greenhouse gas emissions to their CO2e. Source: U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency

Greenhouse Gases: gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat. Rising levels of 

greenhouse gases during the industrial era have contributed to an increase in global 

average temperatures. Source: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Data Distribution 

Centre

Mitigation: measures to reduce the amount and speed of future climate change by 

reducing emissions of heat-trapping gases or removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Source: DoD Climate Adaptation Plan and U.S. Global Change Research Program

Natural Infrastructure: naturally occurring landscape features and/or nature-based 

solutions that promote, use, restore or emulate natural ecological processes. Source: 

Environmental Defense Fund

Net-Zero Emissions: negating the amount of greenhouse gases produced by human 

activity by reducing emissions and implementing methods of absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This removal of greenhouse gases could be done through 

land or natural resource management, and human pollution intervention. Source: 

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Resilience: the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to changing conditions and 

withstand, respond to, and recover rapidly from disruptions. Source: Office of the Chairman 

of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, DoD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 5

OVERVIEW

Climate change is an existential threat that impacts not only our operations 

and readiness but also our infrastructure, our forces, and their families. Rising 

sea levels, recurring flooding, and more frequent and destructive hurricanes 

threaten our coastal installations. Changes in global climate and other dangerous 

trans-boundary threats, including pandemics, are only expected to worsen, posing 

increasing challenges for our forces, platforms, infrastructure, and supporting 

communities, and driving or intensifying conflict and humanitarian disasters 

around the world. The DON will adapt to these challenges that are increasingly 

putting pressure on our force and the systems that support it.

To combat these impacts, the Department of the Navy has an urgent charge: to 

build a climate-ready force.

To achieve this, the DON must meet two Performance Goals:

1. Build Climate Resilience. Ensure that our forces, systems, and facilities can continue to operate effectively 

and achieve the mission in the face of changing climate 

conditions, and worsening climate impacts.

2. Reduce Climate Threat. The Department must reduce its 

greenhouse gas emissions and draw greenhouse gases 

out of the atmosphere, stabilize ecosystems, and achieve, 

as an enterprise, the nation’s commitment to net-zero 

emissions by 2050.

The nation has committed to achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050. 

The President released several Executive Orders that reiterate this commitment 

and added specific targets that apply to the DON. In addition to these targets, and 

further objectives that the Department will establish during implementation planning efforts, the DON commits to drawing down the equivalent of one million cars’ 

worth of CO2e by 2027 on DON-managed lands through nature-based solutions, 

and to install cyber-secure microgrids or comparable resilience technology to 

support all critical missions.

These performance goals are absolutely aligned with our mission. The One 

Navy-Marine Corps Team Strategic Guidance priorities of strengthening maritime 

dominance, empowering our people, and strengthening strategic partnerships will 

guide Department efforts around achieving these performance goals. Alignment 

with these priorities, as well as those laid out in the Chief of Naval Operation’s 

Navigation Plan, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps’ Planning Guidance 

will enhance the readiness and capabilities of the DON as a global maritime power.

The Department will organize climate action around five Lines of Effort (LOE), 

consistent with those laid out in the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Climate 

Adaptation Plan: climate-informed decision making; training and equipping for 

climate resilience; resilient built and natural infrastructure; supply chain resilience 

and innovation; and enhanced mitigation and adaptation through collaboration. 

Our approach will be data-driven, grounded in science, and focused on enhancing 

mission accomplishment.
6 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030

BUILDING ON A STRONG FOUNDATION

The United States is a maritime nation, and the Department of the Navy 

(DON) works with allies and partners to defend freedom, preserve economic 

prosperity, and keep the seas open and free. The climate crisis directly 

threatens the ability of the Navy and Marine Corps to execute those missions.

The coming decades will witness climate change that challenges the DON’s 

global strategic laydown and operations. Climate change will drive more 

severe and more frequent weather events that will stress our systems and 

platforms, and threaten our installations. Melting Arctic ice will yield more 

access to resources and navigable sea routes, enabling greater transit of 

military and commercial vessels alike. Considering these factors and more, 

the Department has an urgent charge: to build a climate-ready force.

A climate-ready force is one that can fight and win around the globe, while 

anticipating, preparing for, recovering from, and adapting to the evolving climate and security future. It is a force that is manned, trained, and equipped 

to operate in anticipated future climate conditions, prepared to respond to 

climate-induced or intensified conflicts and humanitarian disasters. It is 

a force that makes climate-smart investments, acquisitions, and strategic 

partnerships. It is a force with resilient installations and infrastructure 

enabling these missions. It is a force that is knowledgeable about climate 

impacts, associated mission implications and solution sets, and that 

Hurricane Sally brought historic amounts of rain, significantly damaging over 600 facilities on 

Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL. Navy Region Southeast deferred $49M in FY2020/2021 sustainment and modernization requirements to fund initial response and repairs to withstand future 

storms, Sept. 16, 2020.
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 7

accounts for these considerations in decision-making. And it is a force that 

does its part to combat the climate threat by reducing its greenhouse gas 

emissions, and sequestering carbon in terrestrial and coastal ecosystems, 

leveraging built and natural infrastructure to enhance resilience.

Remaining the world’s preeminent naval power while building a climate-ready force is a national security and warfighting imperative: climate 

success is mission success. We will proactively address the impacts of 

climate change to make our forces more capable, our systems and installations more resilient, and improve the health, safety, and quality of life 

of the force.

The climate crisis crosses sectors and geographies, and when we act 

together, we build more meaningful solutions and strengthen our collective security. The DON will work with a full range of partners from 

allied nations and international security organizations, to cities, counties, states, and tribes, our sister services, other federal agencies, and 

the private sector.

Some of the targets we are aiming for in this strategy extend beyond 

2030. We are setting this strategic vision from now until 2030 because 

the scientific community has been clear that this is the decisive decade 

in which the world must make meaningful progress if we are to avoid 

the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.

An aerial photograph showing flooding at Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington, TN. 

Two days of rain dumped more than 14 inches in the area, causing a levee to fail and flooding 

the base and surrounding community. The flood displaced military families from their homes, 

caused extensive damage to base auxiliary buildings, impacted critical IT systems, and cost the 

Navy approximately $154M, May 2, 2010.
8 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030

The Department has a long history that establishes a foundation to succeed against this challenge. Transitioning to cleaner forms of energy 

is one of the central ways that nations can limit the adverse impacts 

of climate change; the DON has repeatedly managed energy transitions 

well. Ship’s power evolved from wind to coal, to fossil fuels, to – in some 

cases – nuclear power, each time combining innovation with efficiency 

to meet mission requirements.

Over the last decade, the Department has successfully employed propulsion 

efficiencies and hybridization as well as low carbon fuels, partnering with 

the Departments of Energy and Agriculture. These innovations expand the 

strategic availability of fuel to the force while yielding climate benefits. 

The Department has established ambitious energy goals and made significant progress towards those goals. The DON’s energy consumption has 

been falling since 2008, and the Department has delivered an additional 

gigawatt of renewable energy to the commercial grid since 2012.

A wide array of partnerships has been instrumental to the Department’s 

successes in increasing energy resilience, reliability, and efficiency, as 

well as reducing energy consumption. The Department of Energy has been 

a major partner, providing science and technology, technical expertise, 

and acquisition capabilities that enable third-party financing of Energy 

Savings Performance Contracts and Utility Energy Service Contracts.

An electric van docks at a new solar-powered electric vehicle charging station on Marine Corps 

Base Camp Pendleton, CA. The self-contained, portable charging stations are independent from 

the electric grid, can be installed immediately, fit over a parking spot, and be moved to support 

mission essential tasks or be used during emergencies as a power bank, increasing overall 

mission resilience for U.S. forces. The Marine Corps’ Southwest Region Fleet Transportation 

Office recently acquired two of these charging stations to add to their existing permanent electric 

vehicle charging infrastructure at Camp Pendleton, Jan. 12, 2022.
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 9

The DON has awarded over $3 billion in these contracts, which are reducing 

energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing energy 

and water resilience at installations across the United States and overseas.

Installation resilience does not stop at the fence line, and partnerships 

with states and local communities have been pivotal to increasing 

resilience. The Department has renewed a memorandum of understanding with the California Energy Commission that will help the 

Navy, Marine Corps, and the state collaborate on energy and water 

resilience, greenhouse gas reductions, and alternative-fuel vehicles.

The DON is coordinating across DoD, federal agencies, and industry 

to ensuring a domestic supply of lithium batteries needed for mission 

functions as well as our nation’s industrial base. The DON is also leading research on advanced batteries, catalyzing the Federal Consortium 

for Advanced Batteries in partnership with the Departments of State, 

Energy, Commerce, and others.

The Marine Corps has upgraded one-third of its fleet of Medium 

Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) seven-ton trucks to a more 

fuel-efficient version and expects the remainder to be upgraded 

by 2024. At bases and installations around the world, the DON has 

installed advanced meters to track energy usage and to drive a culture 

of energy efficiency. Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 2912, the Department has 

A Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) drives off a landing craft during Exercise 

Cobra Gold, an annual multinational exercise to promote interoperability and training between 

the U.S. and Thailand. The Marine Corps has upgraded 1/3 of its MTVRs to a higher fuel 

efficiency engine, which increases mission capability while reducing emissions, Feb. 12, 2014.
10 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030

recovered $155 million based on its reduced energy consumption. For 

savings generated by installations, half of these funds are reinvested 

into energy conservation, energy resilience and similar programs, 

while the remaining 50% go back to the installations that generated 

the savings to fund projects such as morale, welfare and recreation 

facilities and services. Savings recovered from operational energy 

activities are reinvested in energy innovation technologies and fuel 

savings initiatives to enhance mission capabilities and quality of life. 

The Department, as a global leader in science and technology, has 

committed its scientists and researchers to collaborate with colleagues around the world to advance climate data, improve resilience, 

and bring about transformational low-carbon technologies. The 

Department is also leading at the nexus of public health and climate. Public health experts have been conducting health surveillance, 

research, and modeling to better understand how disease vectors and 

health outcomes are changing with the climate. For example, the 

Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center and Navy Entomology 

Center of Excellence are building global partnerships with governments, militaries, academic institutions, and commercial and private 

stakeholders from around the world to share training and expertise. 

These partnerships combat the climate-driven spread of disease and 

insecticide resistance in nations that suffer disproportionately from 

climate health threats.

An SH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 26, flies 

during degraded visual environment training near Udari Army Air Field in Kuwait. HSC-26, 

is a Forward Deployed Naval Force (FDNF) asset attached to Commander, Task Force (CTF) 

53 to provide combat logistics and search and rescue capability throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet 

area of operations, Aug. 19, 2015.
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 11

The DON has also been a leader in planning for climate change impacts 

on its built and natural infrastructure through the development of 

tools like the Navy’s Climate Change Planning Handbook: Installation 

Adaptation and Resilience. Working with federal, state, local, and private sector partners, the DON has implemented nature-based climate 

solutions like restoring wetlands and coastal ecosystems to protect 

installations and neighboring defense communities from erosion, storm 

surge, and sea-level rise.

The DON is also building resilience and sequestering carbon through 

regenerative land management techniques. For example, Naval Air 

Station Patuxent River stopped mowing the grass on much of the base, 

allowing it to return to natural forest, saving the base over $400K 

annually on grounds maintenance, sequestering carbon dioxide, 

reducing emissions from mowing equipment, and improving species 

habitat, stormwater runoff, and quality of life for base employees. 

Keeping the grass near the airfield taller also reduced bird strike risk, 

a significant mission benefit.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jose Martinez Lopez, right, and Lance Cpl. Jerry Garcia Villegas, 

center, both water support technicians with Combat Logistics Battalion 7, Marine Rotational 

Force – Darwin (MRF-D), and Australian Army Craftsman Benjamin Flavell, left, set-up a water 

purification point during exercise Crocodile Response at Point Fawcett, NT, Australia. Exercise 

Crocodile Response tested the ability of MRF-D and the Australian Defence Force to provide 

disaster relief in the Indo-Pacific region, May 25, 2021.
12 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030

The Department has harnessed the proven value of natural infrastructure in bolstering resilience. Naval Weapons Station Yorktown is 

bounded and protected by a critical fringe of shoreline, wetlands, and 

piers, which are all degrading significantly, threatening installation 

operations and increasing maintenance demands. The base received 

$2 million in DoD funds and worked collaboratively with the Virginia 

Institute of Marine Science and other partners to leverage over $10 

million in partner contributions to build living shoreline oyster reefs 

benefiting the ecological functions of the York River while also enhancing the base’s resilience and force protection.

At Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, the DON partnered with the 

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to research 

wetlands and the potential for carbon sequestration in these ecosystems, and built resilience by stabilizing shorelines and restoring salt 

marshes. Several southeastern coastal installations are engaged in a 

regional-scale effort called the South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative, 

which claims to conserve one million acres of salt marsh for coastal 

resilience from Florida to North Carolina.

Volunteers from Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, VA, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems 

Command Atlantic, military families, and volunteers from local conservation groups, participate 

in an oyster castle installation event at the Lafayette River Annex, Jul. 16 and 17, 2020.
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 13

GOALS AND TARGETS

It is with this history and standing on this strong foundation that the 

Department moves forward.

Performance Goals

To achieve a climate-ready force, the DON must realize two Performance 

Goals:

1. Build Climate Resilience. Ensure that our forces, 

systems, and facilities can continue to operate 

effectively and achieve the mission in the face 

of changing climate conditions, and worsening 

climate impacts.

2. Reduce Climate Threat. The Department must do 

its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and 

draw greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere to 

stabilize ecosystems, and achieve, as an enterprise, the President’s commitment to net-zero 

emissions by 2050, as well as other targets.

Specific Targets

The nation has committed to achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide 

by 2050. Executive Order (EO) 14057, Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries 

and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability, reiterated this commitment 

and added several other specific targets that apply to the DON. The DON 

will develop plans and initiatives to begin making progress towards 

implementing all applicable provisions in EO 14057, including:

• Achieving a 65 percent reduction in scope 1 and 2 

greenhouse gas emissions department-wide by 2030 

(measured from a 2008 baseline) 

• Achieving 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity (CFE) by 2030, at least half of which will be locally 

supplied clean energy to meet 24/7 demand

• Acquiring 100 percent zero-emission vehicles by 2035, 

including 100 percent zero-emission light-duty vehicle acquisitions by 2027 

• Achieving a 50 percent reduction in emissions from 

buildings by 2032

• Annually diverting at least 50 percent of non-hazardous solid waste from landfills, including food and 

compostable materials, and construction and demolition waste and debris by 2025
14 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030

In addition to the EO targets, and further objectives that the Department 

will establish during implementation planning efforts, the DON commits 

to achieving the following:

• Nature-Based Resilience. Building on Executive Order 

14072, Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities 

and Local Economies, the DON will draw down an additional five million metric tons of CO2e per year through 

nature-based solutions by 2027, roughly the same as 

removing on million cars off the road, on DON-managed 

lands or working with partners. The DON will also deploy 

nature-based solutions to mitigate shoreline erosion, protect mission-critical assets, and improve natural assets 

that are key to achieving resilient infrastructure and 

operations. 

• Energy Resilience. The DON will ensure energy resilience 

for mission accomplishment by deploying cyber-secure 

microgrids or comparable resilience technologies to 

support its most critical missions. These installation 

microgrids will leverage carbon pollution-free power 

generation and long-duration battery storage to the 

greatest extent practicable for continuity of operations 

of critical missions.

These targets are ambitious, transformational, and only the beginning of 

what is required. Every part of the organization will have a role to play in 

making progress towards these targets and the two performance goals 

needed to achieve a climate-ready force.

The advanced microgrid installation at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA. was completed in 

March 2021, making the air station one of the most energy-forward defense installations in the 

nation. The microgrid incorporates power from solar panels, biogas from a nearby landfill, and 

use other energy-efficient systems. This installation is part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ efforts to 

expand energy resilience and independence, and reduce emissions, Nov. 1, 2016.
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 15

WAY FORWARD

Climate change is transforming the context in which the DON operates, 

and increasingly putting pressure on our force, defense communities, 

and the systems that support them. The Department’s climate efforts 

will focus on both adapting to changing climate conditions and mitigating climate impacts. The DON will continue and accelerate efforts 

to build resilience, reduce emissions, and place a new focus on drawing 

carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Goals and gap-closure plans will 

be data-driven, transparent, grounded in data analytics, and focus on 

enhancing mission accomplishment. Consistent with the Secretary 

of the Navy’s One Navy-Marine Corps Team Strategic Guidance, the 

Department will pursue climate change efforts that:

Strengthen maritime dominance. To remain the world’s dominant maritime force, the Department of the Navy must adapt to climate change. 

Doing our part to reduce the destabilizing threat of climate change and 

to ensure our ability to operate in an increasingly unstable future is an 

integral part of our mission and will make us a more capable, agile, and 

lethal fighting force. Climate solutions can reduce our force’s vulnerability, 

enhance freedom of maneuver, and reduce logistical constraints all while 

reducing emissions, increasing community, physical, and mental health, 

improving natural habitats, and saving money. The Department will think 

holistically to maximize overall value and seek out these multiple wins.

Empower our people. Leadership, innovation, and ingenuity are the bedrock of Navy and Marine Corps culture. The Navy and Marine Corps have 

a deep tradition of navigating transformation, overcoming obstacles, and 

accomplishing the mission no matter how challenging; climate change is 

no different. We have seen that drive from our Sailors, Marines and Civilians 

that contribute to the success of the Department’s facilities, educational 

institutions, cutting-edge research and development capabilities, global

alliances, purchasing power, and natural resources, and stewardship of 

our natural resources. The people of the DON have a breadth and depth 

of capabilities that is awe-inspiring. The Department will leverage and 

empower each of these to build a more capable force while addressing the 

challenges of climate change.

Strengthen strategic partnerships. The Department will take every 

opportunity to work across disciplines, and to reach outside the lifelines to collaborate with our sister services, international partners, 

other federal agencies, states, tribes, municipalities, non-governmental 

organizations, academia, the private sector, and all relevant stakeholders. In so doing, the Department can leverage other sources of funding, 

expertise, capabilities and develop more creative, meaningful, and 

impactful solutions. The Department will also prioritize environmental 

justice and ensure that our efforts emphasize community engagement, 

particularly with disadvantaged communities.
16 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030

LINES OF EFFORT

The Department’s efforts will be organized around and consistent with 

the five lines of effort (LOEs) in the DoD Climate Adaptation Plan:

LOE 1: Climate-informed decision-making.

Decision-making processes across the enterprise will consider 

climate change impacts, risks, and opportunities for adaptation, 

mitigation, and resilience benefits.

As the climate crisis accelerates, our operations, installations, and 

defense communities will come under increasing strain, and the individual resilience of Sailors, Marines, our Civilians, and defense families 

will also be tested. The Department will pursue initiatives to support the 

physical and mental resilience of our total force, alongside initiatives for 

the resilience of our platforms and physical infrastructure. 

The DON will integrate climate change considerations and track climate 

investments throughout the planning, programming, budget justification, and ranking processes. Climate change impacts and threats will 

also be folded into wargames and training exercises. Climate change 

data will be embedded into the Department’s performance management 

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Kongo-class guided-missile destroyer JS Kirishima 

(DDG 174), USS Stockdale (DDG 106), and JMSDF Takanami-class destroyer JS Onami (DD 111) sail 

in formation during Annual Exercise (ANNUALEX) 2021. Japan is among U.S. partner nations 

most affected by climate change and is collaborating with the U.S. Navy on strategic approaches 

for integrated logistics to address humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and other peacetime 

operations, Nov. 21, 2021.
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 17

capabilities to support leadership in understanding progress and 

risks towards accomplishing defined climate-related outcomes. The 

Department will develop and execute an analytic agenda to fill data, 

science, and technology gaps in our understanding of climate impacts to 

ensure that we identify emerging vulnerabilities and opportunities for 

future solution sets. The Department will also incorporate meaningful 

climate related training and education curricula tied to mission objectives into the continuum of learning for the entire force, from enlisted 

personnel to senior officers and civilians.

Integrating Climate Considerations into the Budget Process.

The Department identified climate investments as specific line 

items within its annual budget for the first time in 2021, looking 

at areas such as adaptation and resilience, exercises and assessments, disaster response, modeling and sensing, and future 

planning. These investments support the warfighter and align 

with mission priorities. The DON has prioritized climate investments in the budget review and approval process, including a 

team dedicated to assessing and prioritizing additional climate 

change investments. The DON is working with the Office of the 

Secretary of Defense to refine and standardize this analysis and 

guidance for climate investments in future budget submissions.

An Aerographer’s Mate aboard USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) takes wind and environmental readings at 

sea. More frequent and intense extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change have the 

long-term potential to undermine training capability and readiness, Aug. 11, 2021. 
18 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030

LOE 2: Train and equip for climate resilience.

The Department will ensure that the total force is trained and 

equipped to operate effectively and efficiently in evolving and 

intensifying climate conditions.

Energy usage by the DON’s operational platforms (primarily ships and 

aircraft) accounts for the bulk of the Department’s emissions. These 

platforms are also widely recognized as being the hardest to decarbonize based on the missions they must perform, the amount of energy 

they require, and the long service life of these capital assets. Enabling 

mission success will always be the Department’s primary concern, and 

the climate solutions we build will make the force more formidable in a 

contested logistics and increasingly distributed operating environment. 

Consistent with that mission focus, the DON will address its operational 

emissions, supporting a Department-wide pathway to net-zero by 2050, 

focusing on initiatives that both increase capability and decrease emissions. Specific focus areas will be identification and implementation of 

energy efficiency, demand reduction, and operational improvements; 

analysis of the impact of future force structure growth, asset mix, and 

fuel types to support future warfighting requirements; and engagement 

with industry and other partners to ensure that all relevant technologies, 

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Victoria Witherspoon serves as a ground guide to a Navy dump 

operator as they assist with road clearing operations during Hurricane Ida disaster relief efforts 

in Grand Isle, LA, Sept. 16, 2021. 
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 19

partnerships and contractual structures are rigorously evaluated against 

the dual goals of combat capability and energy transition.

Electrification of Tactical Ground Vehicles. Hybridization 

and electrification of tactical ground vehicles used in combat 

yield climate and mission benefits through reduced fuel consumption, increased operational reach, and enhanced on-board 

capabilities. Critical drivers for hybridization and electrification 

of tactical vehicles are reduced logistics footprint, extended 

range and endurance, reduced detectability, enhanced platform mobility, improved on-board and export power capability, 

potential lifecycle cost savings, reduced maintenance requirements, and increased survivability. Consistent with mission 

requirements, the DON is developing specifications and strategy 

for transitioning enhanced tactical vehicles in a way that is 

forward-looking, coordinated across the Services, and considers 

key industry trends.

The DON will continue to optimize its force through hybridization, electrification, alternative lower-carbon fuels, and advanced propulsion 

solutions for both existing and future tactical platforms in all domains 

— sea, air, and ground. The DON will ensure that energy performance 

is formally evaluated and optimized for every weapons system in the 

acquisitions process. The Department will also investigate options that 

share power between tactical vehicles and ground generation systems 

to optimize fuel use in combat operations and reduce the footprint of tactical forces. In all of these efforts, the focus will remain on warfighting 

efficacy, including fuel demand reduction, extending platform range, 

and improving resilience and survivability.

Beyond energy, the DON will continue to consider and update climate 

data in operational planning, including weather and health surveillance, 

and mission assurance assessments. The Department will prepare for 

rapidly changing and deteriorating climate conditions in developing, 

acquiring, fielding, and sustaining equipment and services, and further 

integrate climate-induced threats into our training and exercises. We 

will begin to measure and evaluate carbon emissions of tactical systems 

at a platform level in the acquisition process and seek opportunities to 

reduce emissions where tactically and operationally feasible.

Integrated and Improved Propulsion for Navy Ships. As a 

Department, there are currently five classes of combatant ships 

and eight classes of logistics ships with varying degrees of 

improved propulsion and hybridization. The DON will continue to explore hybrid and advanced propulsion options for 

all ships including future frigates and destroyers, and other 

classes of ships. Improved propulsion and hybridization will 

provide significantly increased flexibility for future capability 

upgrades, enabling them to be integrated in a more cost-effective and timely manner and provide warfare commanders with 

increased operational flexibility while decreasing demand on 

the Combat Logistics Fleet.
20 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030

LOE 3: Resilient built and natural infrastructure.

Built and natural infrastructure will be resilient to projected climate 

impacts and continue to support mission requirements, military 

readiness, and operational success.

The Department will unlock the full mission and resilience value of all 

its built and natural assets. Dealing with the impacts of water, whether 

too much or too little, is a central challenge of climate change. The 

Department will undertake large-scale ecosystem restoration efforts 

to improve the ability of Department-managed lands and coastlines to 

face the full range of water-related climate challenges from drought, 

water insecurity, and wildfire, to erosion, storm surge and sea-level 

rise. The DON will expand the use of natural infrastructure to build 

resilience, sequester carbon, and achieve local, landscape, and regional-scale climate solutions.

The Department will continue to work extensively with the DoD 

Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program 

which makes installations more resilient to climate change and other 

encroachment challenges through partnerships. The DON has used 

this program to collaborate with partners on over 800 conservation 

and restoration projects, resulting in an additional 230,000 acres of 

protected land yielding resilience benefits.

Coastal ecosystems are some of the most productive, and also some of 

the most threatened by climate change. Over 80 percent of the global 

carbon cycle is circulated through the ocean, and coastal habitats cover 

less than 2 percent of total ocean area, but they account for half of the 

total carbon sequestered in oceans. In addition to sequestering carbon, 

algae, seagrasses, mangroves, and salt marshes provide critical resilience for shoreline environments. Consistent with Executive Order 14072, 

Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities and Local Economies, 

the DON will expand its efforts to protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems on installations and in neighboring defense communities. 

Natural Infrastructure Resilience: Naval Weapons Station 

Earle, New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy caused $50 million in 

damage to Naval Weapons Station Earle, a critical ammunition 

resupply asset for the Department. In 2020, the base combined 

$1.9 million in DoD REPI funds with $61 million from the local 

county and the state to pay for beach replenishment, a living 

shoreline which includes artificial oyster reefs and salt marsh 

restoration to protect from storm surge and improve wildfire 

management. The entire project benefits six DoD facilities across 

1.6 million acres exemplifying how building resilience through 

partnerships is cost-effective, expands our impact, and strengthens our mission readiness.
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 21

The DON will continue to leverage its robust mission assurance program 

to identify climate, energy, water, and control systems cybersecurity 

risks, and prioritize adaption and mitigation initiatives to address these 

risks. The Department will expand energy generation and water conservation efforts through third-party financing vehicles and public-private 

partnerships. The DON will deepen resilience efforts through initiatives 

like distributed generation, smart grid, microgrids, and control system 

cyber security, providing efficiency gains and reliable power to enable 

mission accomplishment during periods of grid instability, including 

generation to support tactical systems and requirements.

The DON will build on the successes of its microgrid program by incorporating a cyber-secure microgrid or comparable resilience technology 

to support all critical missions. This technology supports energy resilience by isolating critical missions from grid instabilities and outages 

whether they are natural or manmade, and can be strengthened through 

conducting Energy Resilience Readiness Exercises and “black starts” to 

test installation resilience and continuity of operations during power 

outages. The DON will tackle emerging electrification requirements 

holistically to develop scalable and cyber-secure solutions which can 

rapidly meet adapting mission requirements. The Department will 

A Sailor with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 (NMCB1) installs a water wash valve atop 

a containerized living unit at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, Africa. NMCB1 installed the arrays 

to study how the impacts of wind and dust affect the arrays’ effectiveness. Solar arrays reduce 

the base’s electrical load and the amount of diesel fuel used to power generators, Sept. 12, 2012.
22 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030

also proactively leverage public and private ventures and third party 

financing to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of its non-tactical 

vehicle fleets and the emissions and traffic impacts of its commuting 

military, civilian, and contractor workforces.

Net-Zero Energy: Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, 

Georgia. MCLB Albany became the Department’s first 

installation to generate more energy than it consumes by 

implementing a range of solutions with a variety of partners. The base partnered with the county to harness landfill 

gas to power portions of the base, took steam from a private 

industrial facility off-base to power other parts of the base, 

and used solar and geothermal power as well. The base also 

procured fully mobile, solar-powered charging stations. These 

stations provide rapidly deployable, transportable, off-grid, 

and resilient electric vehicle (EV) charging, accelerating the 

integration of EVs into the non-tactical vehicle fleet while 

contributing to battery storage and emergency power.

The Department will accelerate water and energy conservation measures 

in buildings and expand the use of low carbon building materials. The 

DON will continue to leverage opportunities to quantify energy savings 

and invest those dollars in resilience projects, mission assurance, and 

programs that benefit Sailors, Marines, and their families. The DON will 

also modernize the design and materials used in physical infrastructure 

to reduce damage caused by extreme weather, erosion, and other climate 

Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC), CA, employees, contractors, and volunteers plant native 

salt marsh plants near a newly constructed tidal channel in the central portion of NBVC Point 

Mugu. Salt marsh plants reduce erosion from storms, provide habitat for birds, fish, and marine 

invertebrates, while also helping sequester carbon, June 8, 2016.
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 23

threats. The DON is investing in updating and developing military design 

and construction tools, studies, criteria, and resilience project designs 

to reflect the interdependencies and impacts of climate change and 

increased cyber threats from broader electrification of the enterprise 

on facilities and supporting infrastructure. Over the past three years, 

the DON has updated criteria to reflect extreme weather events, including higher winds from hurricanes, increased seismic activities, storm 

surge, and flooding, and is now developing new criteria for implementing 

nature-based climate resilience measures. 

Energy Resilience Initiatives: Marine Corps Air Station 

Miramar, California. Marine Corps Air Station Miramar partnered with the city of San Diego to use biogas generated from 

an on-base landfill as a renewable energy source, providing 

over three megawatts of energy to the installation, and reducing reliance on the city’s electric grid by 45%, while reducing 

emissions. The base built an advanced microgrid which 

integrates power from the landfill and on-base solar power 

with a new power plant that enables installation-wide critical 

operations to run during a utility grid outage. Miramar will 

also be installing large-scale battery energy storage and load 

management strategies to increase resilience capabilities, all 

while increasing efficiency through upgrading HVAC systems, 

installing LED bulbs in street lighting, and converting cooling 

towers to use recycled water. 

The BOLT Lifesaver energy device, pictured at U.S. Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site in Kaneohe 

Bay, HI, has so far successfully supplied 900 hours of power stored in a battery bank to support 

unmanned, undersea vehicle recharge and mission resilience. BOLT is a first of its kind device 

that generates energy solely using wave generated power, without relying on batteries or the 

electrical grid support. Photo provided from testing Oct. 2018 – Mar. 2019.
24 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030

LOE 4: Supply chain resilience and innovation.

Through transformational low-carbon technologies and supply chain 

resilience measures, the DON will reduce demand on logistics drivers 

like energy and water, and ensure access to key materials, equipment, and supplies in the face of climate disruptions.

The DON will invest in areas such as transformational, low-carbon 

technologies and advanced energy storage and power generation solutions to support national security, warfighting advantage, and climate 

benefits. Through investments by the Office of the Naval Research 

(ONR) in advanced science and technology, the Department has growing 

innovation capabilities to better predict, mitigate and adapt to climate 

impacts. Some key ONR-supported research areas include oceanographic and meteorological modeling and prediction, efficient electrical 

power systems for ships, advanced water purification technologies and 

resilient cybersecure energy networks.

Low Carbon Fuels. In collaboration with the other Services and 

industry, the Department is in the process of qualifying low 

carbon tactical fuels currently developed and approved by the 

commercial sector. This is a critical step to position our forces 

to take the fullest advantage of low carbon fuels as they become 

available, assuring interoperability with the commercial sector, 

and maximizing worldwide supply chain resilience.

Amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) was designed with a hybrid mechanical-electric 

propulsion system that can achieve greater range and/or more time on station compared to 

similar sized Navy ships that use steam propulsion, resulting in greater flexibility with regards 

to refueling and reduced maintenance costs, Nov. 18, 2016.
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 25

Lithium-Ion Batteries for Tactical Ground Vehicles. In collaboration with the Army, the Department is in the process of 

implementing a standardized lithium version of the vehicle 

standard “6T” battery as the first step toward broader ground 

vehicle hybridization. The Li 6T provides additional battery 

capacity over the traditional lead-acid variant, enabling antiidle, silent watch, and power for auxiliary mission systems. 

Li 6Ts can be recharged via solar power or other means, 

allowing silent operation when recharging, increasing warfighter flexibility and survivability. Standardization of the Li 

6T enables the use of this battery across Services and with 

allied partners, aggregating demand to support supply chain 

initiatives and simplify logistics.

The Department will scrutinize its operational logistics and supply chains 

to ensure that climate-related impacts do not interrupt access to key supplies, materials, and services. DON will undertake efforts to reduce demand 

for key logistics drivers such as energy and water, making supply lines 

less vulnerable to climate disruptions and improving resilience. Energy 

command and control initiatives will provide better situational awareness of fuel on the battlefield, increase operational efficiency and make 

logistics networks more resilient to climate-induced and other disruptions. 

A decreased reliance on the supply chains for fuels and materials will 

yield mission benefits such as expanding potential areas of operation and 

on-station time, as well as climate benefits through reduced emissions from 

logistics operations. 

Investments in Innovation. The Department is leveraging 

public and private innovation in the climate and energy resilience sectors by implementing Silicon Valley-based principles 

through NavalX Tech Bridges and business accelerators. Tech 

Bridges attract small and medium businesses using innovation challenges, often teaming with the National Institute 

of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension 

Partnership organizations and the OSD-funded National 

Security Innovation Network. Recent challenges are supporting maritime supply chain and “blue tech” opportunities. The 

Department has also partnered with business accelerators to 

access private sector innovation. Since 2013, the Elemental 

Excelerator has leveraged $50M of DON funding to attract $4B 

of follow-on capital investments in startups that have deployed 

technologies in all 50 states and more than 60 countries, 

providing products such as distributed batteries, sustainable 

water technologies and climate risk management solutions 

supporting DoD installations and missions.
26 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030

LOE 5: Enhance mitigation and adaptation through collaboration.

The DON will collaborate with external partners to combine capabilities, authorities, and funding, increasing the scale and scope of 

mitigation and adaptation efforts. 

Through programs like the REPI Program, Sentinel Landscapes, the Defense 

Community Infrastructure Program, and other mechanisms, the DON 

will continue to work with defense communities, other federal agencies, 

non-governmental organizations, and a range of stakeholders to build 

adaptation and mitigation solutions at a local, landscape, or regional scale. 

Mekong Delta Climate Research Collaboration. The Office of 

Naval Research collaborated with Vietnamese scientists to 

study Mekong Delta processes, developing a detailed understanding of climate-related phenomena like delta responses 

to rising sea levels, changes in mangrove environments, and 

reduced water flows from upstream. The US-Vietnam scientific 

collaboration was approved by the Vietnamese prime minister 

and initiated a continuing exchange of scientific ideas with 

this important partner.

The Department will also continue to work closely with science and 

technology partners on climate-related modeling, sensing, tracking, 

research, and assessments. The Department will work with allies and 

international partners, including security organizations and other stakeholders, to integrate climate into security cooperation and affirmatively 

build climate resilience in areas of the world that are most susceptible 

to climate-induced conflicts, humanitarian disasters, or acute climate 

impacts such as water and food insecurity or migration pressures.

California Organic Recycling and Composting. DON and the 

other military department are partnering with CalRecycle, 

local jurisdictions, industry, waste haulers and landfills to 

implement a California law that sets a state-wide target of 

reducing organic waste disposal by 75% by 2025. Composting 

greatly reduces the methane gas generated by organic waste, 

and methane is a powerful greenhouse gas (over thirty times 

as powerful as CO2). Military installations across California 

are working closely with CalRecycle to implement organic 

waste diversion programs to achieve this target.
Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 27

Worldwide Climate Health Partnerships. The Navy Entomology 

Center of Excellence partnered with Ghanaian Armed Forces, 

Police, and Ministry of Health to provide training and build local 

capacity to combat vector-borne diseases that are exacerbated 

by climate change, such as malaria. Through the partnership, 

Ghana is developing a comprehensive entomology research 

and control program, increasing the availability of mosquito 

surveillance equipment, and working to ensure the availability of diagnostic tests and medications so local communities 

can minimize malaria outbreaks and deployed military units 

remain combat effective.

Ghanaian Armed Forces receive a supply of mosquito surveillance and control equipment courtesy of the Navy Entomology Center of Excellence. Rising global temperatures result in a longer 

breeding season and broader geographic ranges for hosts of vector-borne diseases, like mosquitos, 

exacerbating a threat to the health of U.S. forces and our partners, Mar 12, 2020.
28 Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030

NEXT STEPS

There is no time to waste. Climate change is already impacting our 

Department, our Nation, and the world in significant ways, and the 

threat will only intensify in the coming decades. The DON has made 

meaningful progress, and now the magnitude and urgency of the climate crisis demand that the Department accelerate our efforts, work 

together, and think creatively to arrive at new and expanded solutions.

In tandem with this strategy document, the DON is initiating a 90-day 

implementation planning process guided by an implementation memorandum. During this timeframe, stakeholders across the DON will work 

together to identify initiatives to make progress towards the performance goals outlined herein. The DON is also standing up an Executive 

Steering Committee, to be chaired by the Assistant Secretary of the 

Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment, to ensure cohesive 

implementation of this strategy across the enterprise.

The Department’s Climate Change Working Group will continue to meet 

regularly to drive and share best practices. Together, we will build upon 

progress and meet the moment to bolster our climate resilience, reduce 

our climate impacts, and remain the world’s dominant maritime force.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) transits the Gulf of Alaska after 

participating in Exercise Northern Edge 2019. Northern Edge is one in a series of U.S. Indo-Pacific 

Command exercises in 2019 that prepares joint forces to respond to crisis in the Indo-Pacific 

region, May 25, 2019
Top Left: Naval Air Station Sigonella Command Master Chief Anna Wood, right, and the watch commander, Chief Master-atArms Dimitris Mack, clear a drain of debris during the early hours of an expected storm hitting NAS Sigonella, Oct. 29, 2021. 

Top Right: NRL researchers monitor changing Arctic using sound First deployment of an earlier version of the Ice-tethered 

acoustic Buoy (ITAB), March 2017. Middle Left: Aircrewmen assigned to the “Merlins” Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 

3 help guide pilots as they fill a 360-gallon capacity precision helicopter firefighting Bambi bucket to help extinguish wildfires 

near Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu’s base housing, May 3, 2013. Middle Right: An Air-Deployable Expendable 

Ice Buoy (AXIB) is deployed in the high Arctic near the North Pole from a Royal Danish Air Force C-130 aircraft operating out of 

Thule Air Force Base in Greenland, as part of a conglomeration of global participants that maintain a network of drifting buoys 

in the Arctic Ocean that provide meteorological and oceanographic data for real-time operational requirements and research 

purposes, Sep. 7, 2017. Bottom: Explosive ordnance disposal technicians assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 

(EODMU) 5 help repair a damaged coral reef in Apra Harbor, Jun. 29, 2017.

PLEASE CITE THIS DOCUMENT AS:

Department of the Navy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and 

Environment. May 2022. Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030. Washington, DC