Department of Defense

Climate Adaptation Plan

September 1, 2021

To National Climate Task Force 

and Federal Chief Sustainability Officer
PLEASE CITE THIS DOCUMENT AS:

Department of Defense, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Acquisition and Sustainment). 2021. 

Department of Defense Draft Climate Adaptation Plan. Report Submitted to National Climate Task Force 

and Federal Chief Sustainability Officer. 1 September 2021.

2 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan

CONTENTS

FOREWORD............................................................................................................................................................................................ 1

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AGENCY-WIDE POLICY STATEMENT......................................................................................................... 3

CLIMATE ADAPTATION STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................................................ 4

CLIMATE ADAPTATION STRATEGY ENABLERS ....................................................................................................................................... 5

FIVE PRIORITY ADAPTATION ACTIONS: LINES OF EFFORT .................................................................................................................... 5

LINE OF EFFORT 1: CLIMATE-INFORMED DECISION-MAKING.............................................................................................................. 6

LINE OF EFFORT 2: TRAIN AND EQUIP A CLIMATE-READY FORCE........................................................................................................ 9

LINE OF EFFORT 3: RESILIENT BUILT AND NATURAL INSTALLATION INFRASTRUCTURE ................................................................... 12

LINE OF EFFORT 4: SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE AND INNOVATION..................................................................................................... 16

LINE OF EFFORT 5: ENHANCE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE THROUGH COLLABORATION............................................................. 19

FOUR TOPIC AREAS.............................................................................................................................................................................. 21

TOPIC 1. UPDATE CLIMATE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS .............................................................................................................. 22

TOPIC 2. AGENCY EFFORTS TO ENHANCE CLIMATE LITERACY IN ITS MANAGEMENT WORKFORCE ................................................ 23

TOPIC 3. AGENCY ACTIONS TO ENHANCE RESILIENCE: CLIMATE-READY SITES, FACILITIES, AND INFRASTRUCTURE...................... 24

TOPIC 4. AGENCY ACTIONS TO ENHANCE RESILIENCE: CLIMATE-READY SUPPLY OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES............................. 25

REFERENCES......................................................................................................................................................................................... 26

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.

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

withstand, respond to, and recover rapidly from disruptions. 

— DODD 4715.21, Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience

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.

— U.S. Global Change Research Program
3

INTRODUCTION

The Department of Defense (DOD) has identified climate change as a critical national security issue and threat multiplier 

(DOD 2014a) and top management challenge (DOD 2020a). Climate change will continue to amplify operational demands 

on the force, degrade installations and infrastructure, increase health risks to our service members, and could require 

modifications to existing and planned equipment. Extreme weather events are already costing the Department billions of 

dollars and are degrading mission capabilities. These effects and costs are likely to increase as climate change accelerates. 

Not adapting to climate change will be even more consequential with failure measured in terms of lost military capability, 

weakened alliances, enfeebled international stature, degraded infrastructure, and missed opportunities for technical 

innovation and economic growth.

The Department must take bold steps to accelerate adaptation to reduce the adverse impacts of climate change. These 

adaptation efforts must align with our strategic objectives and mission requirements, ensuring that our military can deter 

aggression and defend the nation under all conditions. DOD will build upon previous work (see inside back cover). Other 

DOD actions include scientific and engineering research to understand adaptation requirements, new policies and 

guidance, improved construction codes and standards, tools to assess and evaluate climate exposure at installations, 

and a requirement for comprehensive installation master planning.

This Plan builds upon the actions and activities outlined in the DOD 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap (DOD 2014b) 

and meets the requirements of Section 211 of Executive Order (EO) 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis At Home and Abroad. 

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) subsequently indicated that the primary purpose of this plan is to “integrate 

climate change adaptation and climate resilience across agency programs, management of real property, public lands and 

waters, and financial services.” The Department has taken a very expansive approach to this guidance, intending to drive 

positive change across the largest federal resource-consuming entity in the nation. Some elements of CEQ’s prescribed format 

were modified to enhance understanding within the culture and national security context of the Department. 

The Department is responding to climate change in two ways: adaptation to enhance resilience to the effects of climate 

change; and mitigation to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (see definitions on previous page). The DOD’s 

Sustainability Report and Implementation Plan (expected in summer 2021) will further outline each of the Department’s 

climate mitigation strategies. 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

AGENCY-WIDE POLICY STATEMENT

It is DOD policy (DOD 2016a) that all operations, planning activities, business processes, and resource allocation decisions 

include climate change considerations. The purpose of doing so is to ensure the military forces of the United States retain 

operational advantage under all conditions, leveraging efficiency and resilience to ensure our forces are agile, capable, and 

effective. Climate change adaptation must align with and support the Department’s warfighting requirements. As no entity 

has the luxury of “opting out” of the effects of climate change, no portion of the Department—not a Service, a Command, 

or an activity—can “opt out” of the requirement to adapt to a changing climate. Every element in the Department should 

consider appropriate ways to align their work to the initiatives and activities contained within this document. 

OFFICIAL RESPONSIBLE FOR PLAN IMPLEMENTATION: The DOD Chief Sustainability Officer, Mr. Paul Cramer, Acting 

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, is the official responsible for the implementation of this plan. 

DOD CLIMATE ADAPTATION END STATE: Ensure the DOD can operate under changing climate conditions, preserving operational 

capability and enhancing and protecting the natural and man-made systems essential to the Department’s success. 
4 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan

CLIMATE ADAPTATION STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

The Department has modified CEQ’s prescribed format to better reflect the scope and scale of the Department’s 

activities as well as to use terminology common to DOD planning efforts. “Actions” were replaced with “Lines of Effort” 

or LOEs, “Implementation Methodologies” were changed to “Focus Areas,” and “goals” were replaced by “outcomes.” 

These revisions better capture the magnitude of DOD’s efforts as no set of five actions or a discrete list of 

methodologies would be adequate to guide the totality of DOD’s required adaptation and resilience efforts.

LINES OF EFFORT

(with Focus Areas)

STRATEGIC OUTCOMES END STATE

Ensure the DOD can 

operate under 

changing climate 

conditions, preserving 

operational capability 

and enhancing the 

natural and 

man-made systems 

essential to the 

Department’s success

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3

4

5

CLIMATE-INFORMED

DECISION-MAKING

• Climate Intelligence

• Strategic, Operational, and Tactical 

Decision-Making

• Business Enterprise Decision-Making

TRAIN AND EQUIP A

CLIMATE-READY FORCE

• Train Safely in Extreme Conditions

• Assess Current and Future Equipment

• Assess and Adjust Requirements and Acquisition

• Test Equipment for Climate Effects

RESILIENT BUILT AND

NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE

• Installation Resilience

• Preserve Test and Training Space

• Ecosystem Services

SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE

AND INNOVATION

• Assess Supply Chain Resilience

• Harden and Shift to Onshore

• Leverage Purchasing Power

ENHANCE ADAPTATION AND

RESILIENCE THROUGH COLLABORATION

• Interagency and Intergovernmental

• Partner Nations

• Community Resilience

Climate change 

considerations and impacts 

included in all relevant and 

applicable DOD decisions

An agile force, trained 

and equipped to operate 

effectively in all anticipated 

climatic conditions 

Built and natural 

infrastructure necessary for 

successful mission 

preparedness, military 

readiness, and operational 

success in changing conditions

Uninterrupted access 

to key supplies, 

materials, chemicals, 

and services

Reduce adaptation costs 

and build unity of purpose 

through meaningful 

engagement with DOD 

stakeholders

CONTINUOUS MONITORING DATA ANALYTICS

ALIGNING INCENTIVES TO REWARD INNOVATION

CLIMATE LITERACY

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

ENABLERS

Figure 1. DOD Climate Adaptation Strategy Framework For Current and Future Force Decisions
5

CLIMATE ADAPTATION STRATEGY ENABLERS

Four enablers support and integrate across all five LOEs.

CONTINUOUS MONITORING AND DATA ANALYTICS: Sensing is critical to becoming fully aware of the 

scope and scale of climate impacts and is essential to developing predictive modeling capabilities valuable to 

all LOEs. The Department will continuously monitor and assess the relevant environmental conditions on 

operations and installations, and the impacts of its actions, by leveraging the best available and actionable 

science, together with advances in data analytics, business intelligence, and efficient on-site and remote 

sensors. The use of new sensing and data analytics requires updated capability to understand military 

operations and needs in future climates, as well as potentially unforeseen scenarios. Outcomes from these 

efforts will create a data-driven, shared understanding of the operational environment in Advana (the 

Department’s enterprise analytics platform) to guide climate-informed performance management and 

resource allocation decisions. Data analytics must support the development and maintenance of performance 

metrics for all LOEs.

ALIGNING INCENTIVES TO REWARD INNOVATION: Incentivizing innovation is necessary to efficiently align 

climate adaptation goals with mission requirements. The Department has significant scientific, research, and 

development capabilities that offer the potential to accelerate the deployment of technologies needed to 

build resilience and improve both climate adaptation and mitigation capabilities. Particular attention will 

focus on collaborating with other agencies and industry on dual-use technologies. Innovation also includes 

collaboration across the federal government; between federal, state, and local governments; and with 

non-governmental organization (NGOs). 

CLIMATE LITERACY: Successful implementation of this action plan requires actions specifically directed at 

building a climate-informed workforce. A climate-literate and capable workforce can more readily integrate 

climate considerations into all activities, from day-to-day operations to long-term sustainable and climateresilient installation planning, through the development of joint policy and doctrine that takes climate change 

into consideration. Topic 2, regarding Climate Literacy, specifically addresses this enabler. 

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Climate change impacts can affect sources of raw materials, supplies, equipment, 

vehicles, and weapons systems as well as their distribution and storage. Environmental Justice considerations 

require that training and testing, as well as acquisition actions, not disproportionately impact low income and/

or minority populations (EO 13985 and EO 13990). Through the updated DOD Environmental Justice Strategy 

(to be developed per EO 14008) risks and opportunities will be coordinated. The updated Environmental Justice 

Strategy (expected later in 2021) will address Environmental Justice issues in more detail.

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2

3

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FIVE PRIORIT Y ADAP TATION ACTIONS: 

LINES OF EFFORT

Together the five LOE and the four enablers make up the Climate Adaptation Strategic 

Framework. The LOE are described below, including the details required by CEQ.
DESCRIPTION (CONTINUING EFFORT): 

Climate considerations must continue progress toward becoming an integral 

element of DOD’s enterprise-wide resource allocation and operational 

decision-making processes. Climate assessments must be based on the best 

available, validated, and actionable climate science that informs the most 

likely climate change outcomes. Climate data sources must be continuously 

monitored and updated—with consideration of the operational impact—to 

account for the rapid rate of climate change and its impacts. All other actions 

in this plan are dependent on the outcomes of this effort.

FOCUS AREAS: 

Implementing climate-informed decision-making in three major areas:

• Climate Intelligence: Incorporate climate change factors into all threat 

assessments and updates that serve as input when developing a shared 

understanding of the operational environment (e.g., Joint Operating 

Environment 2035) via deliberate review and revision of current 

contingency and operational plans. Update the modeling, simulation, and 

wargaming capabilities to reflect climate change and specifically the 

Climate Risk Analysis developed per section 103 (c) of EO 14008. Update 

relevant decision/planning support tools.

• Strategic, Operational, and Tactical Decision-Making: Ensure climate 

change considerations are reflected in all the Department’s strategies and 

policies per section 201 of EO 14008. These updates will include: the 

incorporation of climate change considerations in warfighting concepts 

and doctrine, Combatant Commander’s region/country engagement plans, 

and logistics plans; revision of logistics planning factors (as necessary); and 

development of appropriate decision support tools. Budgetary foresight 

and long-term funding requirements will be integral to climate-informed 

decision-making.

• Business Enterprise Decision-Making: Incorporate climate exposure and 

sensitivity in cost benefit analyses, to include consideration of the social 

cost of GHG emissions in applicable cost-benefit decisions per EO 13990, 

Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to 

Tackle the Climate Crisis. These updates will include accounting for carbon 

footprint in acquisition, including transportation and logistics; and 

incorporating climate exposure and performance metrics into enterprisewide data analytics efforts.

LINE OF EF FOR T 1: 

CLIMATE-INFORMED DECISION-MAKING

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 

CLIMATE AND WEATHER

The Intergovernmental Panel on 

Climate Change (IPCC) defines 

“weather” as the fluctuating state of 

the atmosphere, characterized by the 

temperature, wind, precipitation, 

clouds, and other weather elements. 

Weather results from systems (e.g., 

low- and high-pressure systems, 

fronts, tropical cyclones) that rapidly 

develop and decay. Weather has only 

limited predictability (a week or two).

“Climate” refers to the average 

weather over a certain time span and 

geographic location. Climate varies 

from place to place, depending on 

latitude, distance to the sea, 

vegetation, presence or absence of 

mountains, or other geographical 

factors. Climate varies also in time; 

from season to season, year to year, 

decade to decade, or on much longer 

time scales, such as the Ice Ages.

— After IPCC, 2001

The submarine USS Hartford surfaces near 

Ice Camp Sargo during Ice Exercise 2016 in 

the Arctic Circle, March 19, 2016.

6 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan
7

OUTCOME

Climate change considerations and impacts are 

included in all relevant and applicable DOD 

decisions.

AGENCY LEADS

Office of Secretary of Defense; DOD Climate Change 

Working Group; Joint Staff; Combatant Commands; 

Military Departments; Defense Agencies.

SCALE

Global.

TIMEFRAME 

Climate-informed decision-making has been a part of the DOD approach since the 2010 Defense Science Board study on 

the implications of climate change to national and international security, with a growing emphasis over the past 10 years 

(see timeline inside back cover). The implementation of climate adaptation is already occurring and will continue to evolve 

as knowledge increases.

RISKS

• Failure to properly integrate a climate change

understanding of related risks may significantly increase

the Department’s adaptation and operating costs over

time, lead to a suboptimal allocation of resources, imperil

the supply chain, and/or result in degraded and outdated

Department capabilities and operating concepts.

• The need for budgetary foresight and long-term funding is

critical to effective climate adaptation.

• To support analyses of adaptation alternatives, measures

to quantify economic costs and benefits of climate

adaptation are needed.

• Climate-informed decisions will better leverage the

Department’s scale and scope to drive innovation and

enhance DOD climate resilience.

OPPORTUNITIES

• Full life-cycle cost analysis and whole systems design

techniques should become the standard for all installationand infrastructure-related investments.

• By aggressively incorporating climate change

considerations into decision-making processes, the

Department will gain operational or tactical advantages,

remain agile, preserve decision space, and reduce climate

hazard risks to missions and operations.

• By identifying climate-impacted problems early, the DOD

can better prepare for humanitarian assistance and

disaster relief (HADR); adapt or strengthen militarymilitary engagement programs to prepare partners to face

potential climate-sourced conflict; thus give the DOD an

advantage over adversaries and competitors to better

survive and operate in future environments.

PERFORMANCE METRICS 

Initial metrics implemented include presence or absence of 

climate hazards (coastal flooding, riverine flooding, heat, 

drought, energy demand, land degradation, wildfire, and 

historical extreme weather events). Advana dashboard metrics 

also measure whether installation climate exposure 

assessments were performed and will include crosswalks with 

installation energy resilience and emergency management 

plans. Other potential metrics include return on investment 

(e.g., savings, cost avoidance) and mission-related metrics 

(e.g., impact on retention, readiness ratings, materiel 

equipment fielding rates). As climate change adaptation 

implementation continues, the Department will fully develop 

these and additional performance metrics.

RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

DOD is considering how to integrate adaptation resource 

considerations and cost management including life-cycle costs 

into plans, business processes, material management, and 

acquisition strategies, along with associated investment and 

risk management processes at all relevant levels. This work 

requires analyzing the costs associated with climate effects 

and how these can be reduced or mitigated through effective 

climate change adaptation. For example, cost curves for 

acquisition and procurement will change, as will costs for 

management and protection of critical infrastructure.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION 

See LOE 5, Enhance Adaptation and Resilience Through Collaboration.
8 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan

CHALLENGES/FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS 

Developing sound intelligence estimates and decision-making tools about an inherently uncertain future where some specific 

climate changes are likely, yet not specifically known, requires both discipline and flexibility. Threat analysis, modeling and 

simulation, wargaming, and experimentation enhance the Department’s understanding of its current and future operating 

environments. Harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to develop predictive models and decision support tools for operational and 

business decision-making processes can inform planning and operations in the U.S. and abroad. Methods considering known or 

anticipated weather conditions, force requirements, and options for operational fuel efficiency must account for nonlinear and 

changing future conditions.

The Department of the Navy and Department of the Air Force Meteorological and Oceanographic communities already have 

several existing weather tools and decision aids such as the Advanced Climate Analysis and Forecasting System or the products 

hosted by the 14th Weather Squadron. These allow decision-makers to understand climate trends to date to set a context for 

how future projected climate conditions vary from this observed baseline. Data and information from these tools and systems 

will be integrated with climate information as appropriate for strategic, operational, and tactical decisions.

EO 14008 emphasizes Environmental Justice in climate adaptation activities. Environmental Justice considerations require that 

Department programs, policies, and activities address disproportionately high and adverse human health, environmental, 

climate-related, and other cumulative impacts on disadvantaged communities. DOD business intelligence and metrics across 

financial and management information systems should include climate-related Environmental Justice and social vulnerability 

analyses where appropriate. 

HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE 

Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Planning Tools: DOD has developed tools for assessing climate change impacts, 

managing climate-related risks, and informing decision-making across installations. In October 2020, the Strategic Environmental 

Research and Development Program (SERDP) and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) launched 

the DOD Regional Sea Level (DRSL) tool enabling DOD planners and managers to understand and assess a range of site-specific 

scenarios of future sea level rise and extreme water level conditions for three time horizons: 2035, 2065, and 2100. The scenarios 

can be adjusted for local conditions of future sea level change and storm surge. The DRSL database contains a graphical user 

interface that provides users access to the scenario information for DOD coastal and tidally influenced military sites worldwide. 

Department of the Air Force: The Geospatial Supply Chain Risk Identification and Monitoring (Geo-SCRIM) tool monitors and 

alerts organizations when suppliers (e.g., the critical organic industrial base suppliers) are in the pathway of environmental risks 

such as hurricanes, wildfires, and pandemics (like COVID-19).

Department of the Navy: The DOD Mission Assurance Program provides a comprehensive review of all threats to Department of 

the Navy installations and ranges. This review includes the exposure to climate and environmental hazards, as detailed in the All 

Hazard Threat Assessment (AHTA). The AHTA analyzes both the probability and mission impact of climate risks tailored to specific 

geographic locations to provide a full range of threats. The AHTA is the baseline for each installation to begin design and planning 

efforts to ensure continuity of operations and feed the development of Installation Energy Plans, Security and Emergency Response 

Plans, Master Plans, and climate mitigation strategies.
9

DESCRIPTION (CONTINUING EFFORT): 

DOD must have prepared combat forces capable of operating under the most 

extreme and adverse weather and terrain conditions. The nonlinear impacts of 

climate change require us to expand this work by anticipating, training, and 

equipping for emerging environmental conditions different from the range of 

environments existing today. This includes compounding effects of climate 

hazards together or with other disruptions (e.g., pandemic). The evolving 

operational environment and the need to operate in new, more extreme 

environments may require changes to where and how U.S. Forces train for 

future conflict. The need for new and advanced training systems capabilities 

may be necessary to meet readiness requirements. This will be reflected in the 

Department’s efforts across activities related to developing, acquiring, fielding, 

and sustaining equipment and services. DOD will develop a list of adaptation 

concepts to test in crises action planning, tabletop, and command post 

exercises. Integrating adaptation concepts into existing major exercises informs 

the joint force on how to adjust current operational and contingency plans, 

while identifying scenarios that should have their own individual plan.

LINE OF EF FOR T 2: 

TRAIN AND EQUIP A CLIMATE-READY FORCE

An HH-60W Jolly Green II sits under bright lights 

used to create heat in the McKinley Climatic 

Lab at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida 

(March 19, 2020).

FOCUS AREAS: 

Ensuring a climate-ready force by implementing the following actions:

• Train Safely in Extreme Conditions: Review and modify existing training programs to safely develop the ability of

service members to operate in extreme conditions. Include not only the individual service member, civilian, and

contractor but also each unit’s collective readiness to operate in extreme conditions. Adjust medical skills and first

aid training for extreme heat and assess applicability of alternative training methods to improve safety. Identify

equipment solutions needed to protect service members.

• Assess Current and Future Equipment: Assess the viability of current equipment to operate in extreme climate

conditions. Identify opportunities to incorporate new technologies to improve performance or adapt existing equipment

that may fill an emerging climate-related requirement. Evaluate climate performance of future weapons systems.

• Assess and Adjust Requirements and Acquisition: For materiel development and acquisition activities, incorporate

requirements built around a realistic projection of future operating conditions, with special attention given to the

Operational Energy Key Performance Parameter (KPP) as discussed in LOE 4. Identify new requirements to enable

the future force such as “tactical cooling,” “on-site water generation,” and “arctic maneuver.”

• Test Equipment for Climate Effects: Ensure all equipment testing realistically incorporates expected environmental

conditions. In some cases, single-use, purpose-built equipment with associated redundant costs may be an effective

adaptation measure. This requires flexible thinking regarding multipurpose, joint-service equipment where

redundancies and commonality have reduced equipping, maintenance, and sustainment costs.
10 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan

OUTCOME

An agile force, trained and equipped to operate 

effectively in all anticipated climatic conditions.

AGENCY LEADS

Office of Secretary of Defense; DOD Climate Change 

Working Group; Under Secretary of Defense for 

Personnel and Readiness; Joint Staff; Combatant 

Commands; Military Departments.

SCALE

Global.

TIMEFRAME 

Training, testing, and equipping combat forces capable of operating under extreme and adverse weather and terrain conditions 

is the subject of continual review and adjustment from now through the foreseeable future.

RISKS

• Climate effects to training and equipping are manifested in an increased number

of suspended/delayed/canceled outdoor training/testing events and increased 

operational health surveillance, and health and safety risks to the Department’s 

personnel.

• Extreme temperatures and weather conditions can result in increased damage to

training equipment and infrastructure.

OPPORTUNITIES

• Effective climate adaptation requires developing innovative measures and methods

that support continual training and operations in climate-changed conditions.

• Alternative training methods such as wargaming, enhanced AI-based simulations,

and state-of-the-art tabletop exercises may also assist in reducing the risks of

actual ground-based maneuvers in extreme conditions.

• The Department should direct efforts in this LOE toward harnessing adaptation and

resilience measures to create combat overmatch. This enables U.S. Forces to gain

distinct advantages over potential adversaries if our forces can operate in conditions

where others must take shelter or go to ground.

• New technologies that reduce fuel consumption may add capabilities such

as improving operational mission capabilities without use of the main engine

(i.e., silent watch), while also decreasing logistics requirements.

PERFORMANCE METRICS 

Performance metrics for training, testing, and equipping will 

be reviewed and updated to reflect evolving understanding of 

observed and reasonably foreseeable climate changes and the 

cascading effects that could pose challenges to the mission.

RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

DOD is assessing how to integrate adaptation resource 

considerations and cost management (including life-cycle 

costs) into plans, business processes, material management, 

and acquisition strategies, along with associated investment 

and risk management processes at all relevant levels. This work 

requires analyzing the costs associated with climate effects 

and how these can be reduced through effective climate 

change adaptation. For example, cost estimation practices for 

acquisition and procurement will change, as will costs for 

management and protection of critical infrastructure.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION 

See LOE 5, Enhance Adaptation and Resilience Through Collaboration.

WILDFIRE

Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) 

China Lake, California, experiences 

adverse impacts to operations due to 

fire. Examples of operational impacts 

include the cancellation of 11 

Department of State tests by the 

Quick Reaction Capability Office 

due to wildfires last year. The 

Explosive Ordnance Disposal 

Training Teams also had three full 

events canceled and one event 

partially canceled due to the fires. 

Several air operation sorties were 

canceled because of the associated 

smoke and haze from wildfires at 

NAWS China Lake, California.
11

CHALLENGES/FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS 

Training under more extreme conditions poses challenges to stationing decisions and health surveillance programs, including 

increased frequency of health monitoring and adequacy of personal protective equipment. Health and safety risks to the 

Department’s personnel and demand for operational health surveillance programs and health services will increase. 

DOD must consider the impacts to readiness and mission that substitution of chemicals with global warming and/or unintended 

environmental consequences may pose. DOD will continue to use its toxicology expertise contained within its Chemical and 

Material Risk Management Programs to also assess potential human and environmental health effects from exposure to 

emerging chemicals. Removal of key chemicals from the supply chain may necessitate development of costly alternatives. 

HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE 

Department of the Army Integrated Training Area 

Management (ITAM) Program: This program has conducted 

short- and long-term rehabilitation measures on training ranges 

for over 30 years. ITAM repairs maneuver training damage and 

reconfigures training lands to increase soil reliance, which 

preemptively decreases the negative impacts of extreme 

weather events on military training. ITAM also conducts active 

vegetation management within training areas, which reduces 

the risk of wildland fire exacerbated by increased fuel 

accumulation and enduring drought conditions.

Joint Services: Under U.S. Northern Command 

(USNORTHCOM), personnel shelters for use in the Arctic 

environment are currently undergoing testing, along with plans 

to incorporate Arctic-capable shelters into exercise Arctic Edge 

2022. Combined U.S. and Canadian testing is underway to 

develop a Cold Rapid Airfield Damage Repair capability.

Department of the Army Cold Weather Exercises: The 

Army conducts exercises with allies and partners as part of a 

Department and Combatant Command exercise program. The 

particular scenario, which may reflect aspects of a changing 

climate, informs the shape and objectives of these exercises.

Air Force Polar Survival School: The Air Force operates a 

cold weather survival school at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. 

Hundreds of students from across all services attend each year, 

learning how to survive in temperatures averaging near 30 

degrees below zero.

TRAINING DISRUPTIONS CAN LINGER – 

ADAPTATION WILL REDUCE FUTURE IMPACTS

In fall 2018, Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm, severely 

damaged Tyndall AFB. As a result of the hurricane’s impact, 

“the F-22 community lost access to its premier simulator“ 

and academic training facility for months. As the Tyndall 

recovery effort began, F-22 training across the fleet adapted by 

redistributing personnel, aircraft, and equipment from Tyndall 

to other locations. The storm results provide the opportunity 

to consolidate F-22s at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA, making 

it home to both training and operational squadrons. 

The Department of the Air Force exceeded Unified Facilities 

Criteria minimum design requirements in rebuilding Tyndall 

AFB following Hurricane Michael. The design wind speed used 

for rebuild is based on the Florida Building Code for High 

Velocity Hurricane Zone (165 mph), because maximum wind 

during Hurricane Michael was 161 mph. Other High Velocity 

Hurricane Zone requirements were adopted, such as roof 

framing to foundation connections. Design flood elevation 

merged Federal Emergency Management Agency base flood 

levels and the highest DOD regionalized sea level rise scenario 

for year 2100.
12 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan

DESCRIPTION (CONTINUING EFFORT): 

Built and natural infrastructure are both necessary for successful mission 

preparedness and readiness. Built infrastructure serves as the staging 

platform for the Department’s national defense and humanitarian missions; 

natural infrastructure supports military combat readiness by providing 

realistic operational testing and combat environments and conditions. 

Installations and their built and natural infrastructure also serve as the 

platforms from which the DOD cares for its people and projects and sustains 

forces. Many global operational missions are accomplished and/or sustained 

from DOD installations. Changing climate provides an opportunity to 

reevaluate use of regional approaches that allow for flexibility to adjust to 

changing conditions while providing an appropriate level of standardization 

for resilience, efficiency, and costs.

LINE OF EF FOR T 3: 

RESILIENT BUILT AND NATUR AL 

INSTALLATION INFRASTRUCTURE

On September 5, 2019, trainees at Fort Jackson, 

S.C., stack sandbags for use throughout the 

hurricane season.

FOCUS AREAS: 

Achieving resilient built and natural installation infrastructure through the following implementation activities:

• Installation Resilience: Engage all DOD installations in a comprehensive installation assessment and resilience 

planning activity incorporating outcomes into installation resilience plans. Progress and performance will be 

tracked, and installation “readiness” tested during exercises. Building standards will be updated to ensure 

continuity of operations under altered climate conditions. 

• Preserve Testing and Training Space: Complete climate-informed natural resource plans to better protect test and 

training. Work with surrounding communities to protect land near installations and proactively engage with the 

private sector to address impacts of off-base development. 

• Ecosystem Services: Enhance the management of DOD natural assets to preserve or expand ecosystem services, 

building resilience at the regional level.

OUTCOME

Built and natural infrastructure in 

place that is necessary for successful mission 

preparedness, military readiness, and operational 

success in changing conditions.

AGENCY LEADS

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 

Sustainment; Military Departments; Defense 

Agencies.

SCALE

Global.
13

TIMEFRAME 

Policies and guidance to enhance resilient built and natural 

infrastructure through adaptation exist today, as do 

programs that focus on natural infrastructure. These efforts 

will continue to evolve as climate science advances and 

knowledge of foreseeable impacts progress.

RISKS

• Climate change results in variations in frequency and 

intensity of precipitation patterns, leading some regions to 

become drier or wetter. Precipitation events are becoming 

more intense, increasing the risk of local flooding even 

during drought periods. This trend of varying frequencies 

and intensities of precipitation globally is expected to 

continue.

• Coastal installations are susceptible to hazards of sea level 

rise, coastal erosion, storm surge, and saltwater intrusion.

• Rising temperatures and other climate changes can 

significantly modify the natural infrastructure in several 

ways at installations. For example, flora and fauna 

distributions will be significantly altered as drier conditions 

will convert many currently forested areas to grasslands. 

Introduced species, many of which are very disruptive to 

native ecosystems and species composition, will expand 

their range. This includes many pest species, competitors 

with native species, and diseases associated with more 

tropical regions.

• Energy resilience is crucial to maintain mission essential 

functions. Increasing frequency and intensity of severe 

storms, fires, and increased load demand for cooling due to 

rising temperatures will continue to stress energy resources. 

Installations that are dependent on the commercial power 

grid and vulnerable to disruptions due to severe weather 

may also experience physical attacks and cyber attacks, 

exploiting that vulnerability.

• Risk of wildfires is projected to increase on many 

installations, ranges, and in land proximate to installations 

including where military and civilian personnel reside.

• In the Arctic, permafrost plays an important role regarding 

natural and built infrastructure. For example, it provides 

stability of large acreages of wetlands and lakes across the 

tundra. Permafrost thaw threatens to undermine roads and 

structural foundations.

• Reductions in access to or restrictions on testing capabilities 

due to climate impacts may cause relocation or loss of 

testing capabilities, or limitations on testing which result in 

increased costs, prolonged delivery schedules, and lower 

confidence assessments/higher risk acceptance. Reducing 

risk will increase the reliance on other approaches including 

modeling and simulation.

• Assured access to an adequate water supply is critical for 

long-term water security and military readiness. Water 

service failures present a current and growing risk to 

installations, as such failures have direct impacts (e.g., 

disruption, health and safety, financial) on an installation’s 

ability to execute their mission, and the welfare of 

communities where military and civilian personnel reside. 

In Outside Continental U.S. (OCONUS) locations, military 

water requirements might compete with local water needs, 

creating potential areas of friction or even conflict.

• Critical port facilities will be impacted by rising sea levels 

and extreme weather events.

OPPORTUNITIES

• DOD components could engage the private manufacturing and technology sectors, presenting anticipated challenges and 

potential opportunities for private industry to fill future requirements.

• Expanded use of programs such as the Sentinel Landscape Program and the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration 

(REPI) program can preserve or enhance natural infrastructure mission capabilities.

• New water resilience initiatives for DOD include constructing additional wastewater treatment and potable water infrastructure 

capacity at military installations to recapture and reuse water, use of dehumidification to capture water from air, and 

construction of underground reservoirs for additional reserve capacity.

CYBER SECURITY

Joint Services USNORTHCOM sponsors the More Situational 

Awareness for Industrial Control Systems Joint Capability 

Technology Demonstration to ensure industrial control 

system cyber security and reduce the adversary threat to our 

nation’s critical infrastructure.
14 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan

PERFORMANCE METRICS 

Performance metrics will be reviewed and updated to reflect 

evolving knowledge of observed and reasonably foreseeable 

climate impacts to built and natural infrastructure. Initial 

metrics implemented include presence or absence of climate 

hazards (coastal flooding, riverine flooding, heat, drought, 

energy demand, land degradation, wildfire, and historical 

extreme weather events). Advana dashboard metrics also 

measure whether installation climate exposure assessments 

have been performed and incorporated in planning, including 

installation energy resilience plans.

RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

DOD is assessing how to integrate adaptation resource 

considerations and cost management (including life-cycle 

costs) into plans, business processes, material management, 

and acquisition strategies, along with associated investment 

and risk management processes at all relevant levels. This 

work requires analyzing the costs associated with climate 

effects and how these can be reduced through effective 

climate change adaptation. For example, cost estimation 

practices for acquisition and procurement will change, as will 

costs for management and protection of critical 

infrastructure, and cost-benefit analyses could be useful in 

helping decide between alternative adaptation approaches.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION 

See LOE 5, Enhance Adaptation and Resilience Through Collaboration.

THE SENTINEL LANDSCAPES PROGRAM

The Sentinel Landscapes Program coordinates between DOD, 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Department of 

the Interior. This coalition of federal agencies, state 

governments, local communities, and private conservation 

organizations works to advance shared land-use goals 

around military bases. The program works to identify 

landscapes across the country where missions of all three 

agencies—promoting sustainable agricultural and forestry of 

rural lands, strengthening national defense, and building 

community resilience to climate change—intersect. The 

three agencies then coordinate to target their conservation 

programs to properties within these priority areas. Each 

project site, or “sentinel landscape,” represents remarkably 

successful collaboration across agricultural, defense, and 

conservation sectors to tackle complex issues related to 

water quantity and quality, imperiled species habitat, and 

wildfire mitigation.

CHALLENGES/FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS 

The challenge to maintain present built and natural infrastructure into the future will vary depending on location, climate 

hazard exposure, and sensitivity of missions and operations. Improving understanding of the effects of climate change 

adaptation and mitigation measures to infrastructure components and ecosystems is critical. Further, DOD should evaluate its 

current culture of maintaining and repairing facilities and structures well past their useful lifespan. Adapting current and 

developing new criteria that accounts for anticipated impacts may result in the demolition, divestiture, or repurposing of 

structures and facilities, regardless of their age. Combatant Command requirements for future posturing options could conflict 

with collapsing approaches to reduce footprint and gain efficiencies at home.

Information about how natural ecosystems contribute to ecosystem services (positive benefits including carbon sequestration, 

timber management, prevention of soil erosion, habitat for threatened and endangered species, and biodiversity) and climate 

resilience, and how they overlap with the built environment provide insight into how to design better solutions that account for 

the condition and benefits of the whole system. For example, coastal ecosystems—including wetlands, marshes, and 

mangroves—may shield communities from the impacts of climate change.

“Lost days” at an individual training/testing location impact the readiness of an individual unit or an individual weapons 

system’s testing regime. The Department must assess climate impacts at local training/testing assets and quantify the 

cumulative effects across all the Department’s training and testing. Reductions in access to training lands may increase the 

demand for acquisition/development of new training lands or alternative training to maintain unit readiness. Reductions in 

access to testing capabilities may increase the reliance on modeling and simulation, relocation, or loss of testing capabilities, 

or limitations on testing which result in increased costs, prolonged delivery schedules, or lower confidence assessments. 
15

HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE 

Guam Power: Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Marianas has 

partnered with the Guam Power Authority (GPA) as the power utility service provider 

to military installations on Guam. The GPA’s 2010 Long Range Transmission Study 

established policy to move power generation from shore side to higher inland areas 

due to risks associated with tsunamis, storm surge, and rising sea levels.

Fort Huachuca REPI: Located in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, Fort Huachuca is 

accustomed to periodic drought and wildfires that threaten the unmanned aircraft 

system training and electronic warfare testing missions of this once remote 

installation. The threat to the installation’s physical infrastructure and water security 

led Fort Huachuca to partner with the Arizona Land and Water Trust (ALWT) to 

conduct an extensive Water Supply and Use Assessment that included an analysis of 

groundwater levels and surface flows, a survey of current irrigation and water use, 

and a comprehensive review of historic pumping records and water rights. In FY 2020, 

Fort Huachuca and ALWT completed this survey and were awarded $2 million in REPI 

Challenge funding that, coupled with $4.3 million in partner funding, will protect over 

2,000 acres of working ranches and forests from incompatible development that 

would increase demand for groundwater pumping in the area. Funds will also support 

installation efforts with the U.S. Forest Service to reduce hazardous fuels within the 

adjacent Coronado National Forest, resulting in the reduced threat of wildfires in the 

area and at Fort Huachuca.

U.S. Naval Academy (USNA)/Naval Support Academy Annapolis, Maryland:

A DOD-funded resilience study (FY 20–22) will result in a comprehensive plan with 

specific courses of action to cohesively address and mitigate the combined effects 

of land subsidence, sea level rise, ground water change, coastal flooding/storm 

surge, and inadequate stormwater management at USNA. Courses of action will 

include a mix of approaches: structural (seawalls, bulkheads, floodwalls, stormwater 

retrofits), natural (earthen berms/levees, rain gardens, living shorelines), nonstructural (changes in land use), and temporary solutions to issues where long-term 

permanent protection may take years to implement. The installation is in the midst 

of implementing additional stormwater repair projects and proposing to repair and 

restore the seawall and shoreline along the installation to address structural 

deficiencies on the existing seawall and potential impacts from future extreme 

weather events, storm surge, sea level rise, and land subsidence.

READINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION INTEGRATION 

The REPI program is a particularly effective way to preserve or enhance mission capabilities by protecting lands near installations 

and ranges (DOD 2021a).

“REPI funds can also be leveraged by our partners to satisfy any matching or cost-sharing requirement of any conservation or 

resilience program of any federal agency. This presents an incredible opportunity for DOD to collaborate with our interagency 

partners and enhance state, local, and non-governmental initiatives that complement REPI’s climate resilience efforts.”

— Deputy Secretary of Defense, Kathleen Hicks 

(April 22, 2021)

For more information about the REPI program and supportive DoD efforts, please visit http://www.repi.mil

Maryland

 This project will benefit Atlantic Test Range and Naval Air Station 

Patuxent River, which are both located within the Middle Chesapeake 

Sentinel Landscape. These installations are critical to the research 

testing, and development of manned and unmanned aircraft that form 

the basis of the joint force and sustain military advantages. 

 The growth of the surrounding communities and the increase in 

frequency of extreme storm events create public safety threats, 

interference issues, infrastructure damage, and energy instability. 

 This project aims to conserve 4,000 acres of compatible land beneath 

the Atlantic Test Ranges’ Special Use Airspace to limit potential 

incompatible development. Conservation of this land will protect resilient 

and connected marsh migration corridors that will safeguard ecologically 

significant habitat, improve the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay 

watershed, and provide communities a defense against coastal hazards. 

Search and rescue training and jump exercises at Naval 

Air Station Patuxent River.

REPI Funds:

$3,000,000

Partner Contributions: 

$5,000,000

Total: $8,000,000

NOMINATING PARTNER

Fort Huachuca

Arizona

 This project will expand the footprint of permanently protected lands 

within the Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape. Fort Huachuca is located 

in a perfect area for its unmanned aerial systems testing and training 

mission.

 The rapid growth and expansion of nearby towns threaten the current 

electronically quiet environment that is necessary for effective operations at 

Fort Huachuca.

 This project will protect over 2,000 acres of working ranches within 

the Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape. Protecting these compatible 

lands will help maintain the low levels of electromagnetic and signals 

interference, which are necessary for operations at Fort Huachuca. 

Additionally, portions of this land would contribute to natural resources 

management projects occurring in adjacent forests, decreasing the 

threat of dangerous wildfires in the area. 

Soldiers conduct unmanned aerial system training for 

readiness-level progression at Fort Huachuca.

REPI Funds:

$2,095,000

Partner Contributions: 

$4,298,140

Total: $7,423,140

NOMINATING PARTNER

*

$1.03M will be funded in FY21 subject to the availability of funds

Guam Power Authority employee tests 

equipment for military installations on Guam.

Soldiers conduct unmanned aerial system 

training for readiness-level progression at 

Fort Huachuca.

An entrance to the U.S. Naval Academy campus 

in Annapolis, Maryland (January 9, 2014).
16 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan

DESCRIPTION (CONTINUING EFFORT): 

A climate-resilient supply chain is one in which the Department has ensured 

that key suppliers and industries can still operate though impacted by climate 

change. DOD must also consider logistic support of supply chains (e.g., fuel, 

power requirements) especially in austere locations that are more vulnerable 

to the effects of climate change. To remain agile and flexible in responding to 

changing conditions, actions will include energy demand reduction to reduce 

logistics requirements and establish metrics and measures for tracking 

progress. The DOD acquisition system must consider operational energy as 

stated in the Operational Energy KPP (10 USC 2911) that reduces the logistical 

footprints of contingency locations. Other optimization of logistical support 

requirements (e.g., water) can improve resilience and make supply lines less 

vulnerable to the effects of climate change and adversaries.

LINE OF EF FOR T 4: 

SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE AND INNOVATION

Air Force Airman loads pallets of water into a 

C-17 Globemaster at Joint Base San AntonioKelly Field, Texas.

FOCUS AREAS: 

Building supply chain resilience through the following implementation 

activities:

• Assess Supply Chain Resilience: Include climate change considerations in all 

supply chain assessments, working with major suppliers to identify risks 

and corrective actions. Work to realistically “stress test” the supply chain in 

wargames and simulations.

• Harden and Shift to Onshore: Develop a prioritized plan to protect or 

“harden” and shift to American-made (“onshore”) critical supply chains and 

components with special attention given to “last-mile” resilience. Consider 

stockpiling key materials and components where this is not already best practice.

• Leverage Purchasing Power: Align DOD supply chain resilience efforts to specifically support key climate resilience 

and mitigation technologies. Act to spur deployment of climate mitigation technologies such as microgrids and 

power storage when such items align with DOD’s mission requirements. Pioneer the use of carbon-sequestering 

construction technologies. Explore potential for major suppliers to disclose GHG emissions, treat climate change 

vulnerabilities as a “material weakness” on financial reports, and expect commitments to public reporting on 

Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) features of their business operations.

OUTCOME

Uninterrupted access to key supplies, materials, 

chemicals, and services.

AGENCY LEADS

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 

Sustainment; Military Departments; Defense 

Agencies.

SCALE

Global.

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 

Demand-side optimization reduces 

burden on fuel logistics; advanced 

aerial planning tools and aircraft 

drag reduction initiatives like C-17 

Microvanes are expected to both 

mitigate climate change and reduce 

dependence on fuel supply chains.
17

TIMEFRAME 

Supply chain resilience is an area of growing concern. Analyses and required adaptation will occur now through the foreseeable 

future.

RISKS

• Climate change and extreme weather can disrupt supply chains. Maintaining an effective supply chain security posture

through supply chain risk management is fundamental to DOD’s ability to meet its mission.

• Higher cost supplies may result due to higher overhead/operating costs of domestic manufacturing.

OPPORTUNITIES

• The Department should assess climate change-related vulnerabilities within

our supply chain that can be exploited by would-be adversaries, either for shortor long-term gain.

• To avoid inadvertent shifts of costs and/or liabilities to the DOD operational, logistics,

and installations management communities, the DOD Sustainability Analysis

Guidance (DOD 2020b) recommends a life-cycle approach to quantify liabilities during

system acquisition. These liabilities can include impacts to climate change through

GHG emissions or climate change impacts to the system acquisition in question.

• Specific attention should be given to last-mile supply chains in theater in addition to

onshoring and hardening locations of supply. Key recommendations by the National

Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2020) for supply chain resilience

to major climate-related disasters focus not only on the production and shipping of

supplies, but the last-mile movement of supplies to their final use. Ignoring last-mile

issues (e.g., road access, traffic jams, storage, delivery) will lead to fragile plans for

the DOD. This affects DOD personnel and missions in emergency management and

HADR support.

• DOD will conduct an analysis to develop a goal for onshoring and supply of “Made in America” critical supplies to define specific

requirements for programs of record and for regular acquisitions. Flexibility is needed to be sure any critical components not

produced domestically can be sourced from specific allied nations to ensure access during major conflicts or until a domestic

production line can be established.

• Sustainable procurement enhances and sustains mission readiness through cost-effective acquisition that achieves compliance;

prevents pollution; ensures product availability; and minimizes environmental, safety, and occupational health impacts to the

warfighter.  As described in DOD Instruction (DODI) 4105.72 (Procurement of Sustainable Goods and Services, DOD 2018b), the

Sustainable Procurement Program allows DOD to purchase environmentally preferable products and services.

• The Department will use its position as the single largest buyer of goods and services to drive transparency within and across its

supply chain; expecting major suppliers to fully disclose GHG emissions and broader ESG performance.

PERFORMANCE METRICS 

Performance metrics will be reviewed and updated to reflect 

evolving understanding of observed and reasonably 

foreseeable climate impacts to supply chain.

RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

DOD is assessing how to integrate adaptation resource 

considerations and cost management (including life-cycle 

costs) into plans, business processes, material management, 

and acquisition strategies, along with associated investment 

and risk management processes at all relevant levels. This work 

requires analyzing the costs associated with climate impacts to 

supply chains and how these can be reduced through effective 

climate change adaptation.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION 

See LOE 5, Enhance Adaptation and Resilience Through Collaboration.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 14008

“Agencies shall consider the 

feasibility of using the purchasing 

power of the Federal Government to 

drive innovation and shall seek to 

increase the Federal Government’s 

resilience against supply chain 

disruptions. Such disruptions put the 

Nation’s manufacturing sector at risk, 

as well as consumer access to critical 

goods and services.”
18 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan

CHALLENGES/FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS 

DOD must modify and implement requirements analysis and acquisition strategies to 

account for climate change. For example, DOD must review acquisition processes for 

strategic reserves and stockpiles for critical components; new and existing weapons 

systems and their associated maintenance plans; and storage, distribution, and 

transportation activities, including transportation modes and routes.

DOD is limited in its ability to conduct climate change risk assessments of 

commercially owned facilities that provide contracted goods or services to DOD, 

and which support DOD installations and weapons systems. DOD must adopt a 

comprehensive mission assurance framework to manage risks in a way that 

accounts for the Department’s dependence on non-DOD owned facilities and the 

consequences of any disruptions to those facilities (Government Accountability 

Office [GAO] 2020).

Increased resilience in the Department’s supply chain may depend in part on 

collaborative mechanisms that leverage best practices and adaptation strategies 

across the Department and in the private sector. Collaboration around major 

manufacturing, supply, and transportation corporations, including shared use of 

supply/resupply networks and maintenance facilities within the Department and 

industry as part of the acquisition and procurement process, will increase resilience.

Supply chains can also be at risk due to impacts from drawdown of chemicals 

associated with GHG emissions (e.g., hydrofluorocarbons [HFCs]) and the potential 

that DOD does not account for all mission-critical uses of HFCs. This can lead to 

loss of access to mission-critical chemicals, especially when there are no known or 

viable alternatives at this time.

HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE 

Department of the Navy Model for Supply Chains: NAVFAC is currently developing an agent-based model for supply chains; this 

is a project started in FY 20 and continuing through FY 21. It provides a tool to evaluate supply chain disruptions on fuel deliveries 

and adaptive planning based on perturbations to environmental conditions and available infrastructure. This will simulate and 

model joint logistics-over-the-shore operations using agents that have local sensing, decision-making, and adaptation capability.

Joint Services: The North American Aerospace Defense Command and USNORTHCOM staff are baselining the fuel supply chain 

distribution system in the Arctic to better understand the shortfalls and advocate for future infrastructure development to 

enhance resilience to changing climate.

Department of the Air Force: Through aggressive fleet management, including alternative fuel/hybrid vehicle prioritization, 

right-sizing, and “U-Drive It” use, the Air Force reduced fleet operating costs by 22.3 percent while increasing Alternative Fuel 

Vehicle inventory 42.7 percent. U.S. Department of Energy recognized the USAF’s progress with the 2020 Federal Energy 

Management Program award.

U.S. EUROPEAN COMMAND 

(USEUCOM) AREA OF 

RESPONSIBILITY (AOR) 

SEAPORTS

Expected sea level rise by the year 

2100 ranges between 0.3 m and 

2.5 m. Rising sea levels will directly 

impact coastal locations that are 

part of a complex of commercial 

distribution infrastructure, including 

seaports of embarkation/debarkation 

in the USEUCOM AoR. Additional 

engineering assessments will be 

required to determine the ability 

for coastal infrastructure to 

accommodate higher sea levels 

along with higher tides, higher wave 

lengths, and increased soil/shore 

erosion.
19

DESCRIPTION (CONTINUING EFFORT): 

Instituting effective and efficient climate adaptation over the range of DOD 

missions, operations, and infrastructure requires leveraging all relevant 

information, methods, technologies, and approaches. This can only be 

achieved through close collaboration with others. The Department will build 

unity of effort and mission across DOD components, commands, services, and 

theaters to exploit lessons learned and economies of scale. Close cooperation 

with all who have a stake in our national security (other federal agencies, 

Congress, private industry, academia, NGOs, the American people, and allies), 

as well as other nations, will help secure our common interests and promote 

our shared values.

LINE OF EF FOR T 5: 

ENHANCE ADAP TATION AND RESILIENCE 

THROUGH COLLABORATION

Community members of the city of Chevak, 

Alaska, meet with tribal leaders and citizens 

to discuss disaster assistance measures and 

processes in light of recent emergencies in 

preparation for the upcoming flood season.

FOCUS AREAS: 

Organizing the Department’s climate change 

adaptation and resilience collaboration 

activities as follows:

• Interagency and Intergovernmental: Given 

DOD’s scale, engage in a wide array of 

interagency and intergovernmental forums 

with specific attention given to research 

and collaboration on new technologies, and 

regional-based land-use planning to adapt 

shared ecosystems to climate impacts. 

• Partner Nations: Build partner nation 

capacity to respond to climate changerelated hazards. Actively participate in 

technical, academic, and scientific 

exchanges to accelerate climate changerelated knowledge to and from DOD. In 

concert with partner nations, ensure 

overseas infrastructure is adapted and 

resilient to local conditions. 

• Community Resilience: Work directly 

with communities adjacent to installations 

to build shared resilience, enhance shared 

ecosystems, and preserve test and 

training lands.

INTERAGENCY COORDINATION OF FEDERAL CLIMATE 

RESEARCH VITAL TO DOD INTERESTS

DOD coordinates its federal interagency climate science research and 

development activities through interagency bodies. This coordination 

provides invaluable opportunities for DOD to coordinate with and 

leverage their unique capabilities and investments.

• DOD serves as a representative on the National Science and 

Technology Council’s Committee on Environment to ensure all relevant 

services and DOD stakeholders have representation at the executivelevel, interagency subcommittees. 

• The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) is the 

Federal Government’s primary forum for promoting interagency 

coordination and collaboration on Arctic research policy and priorities. 

DOD regularly collaborates with IARPC; is involved in setting the 

strategy for building capability in the Arctic sciences and collaboration 

space; and is actively involved in developing the next five-year Arctic 

Research Plan, which will be issued in 2021. 

• The Subcommittee on Global Change Research (SGCR) is the governing 

body of the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), 

which integrates the products of all-source climate research to provide 

strategic assessments and reports for policymakers and the public. 

DOD is a member of the SGCR and provides subject matter expertise 

that contributes to development of SGCR products, including the 

Decadal Strategic, an annual report to Congress on USGCRP’s activities 

and accomplishments, and the National Climate Assessment.
20 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan

OUTCOME

Reduce adaptation costs and build unity of purpose 

through meaningful engagement with DOD 

stakeholders.

AGENCY LEADS

Office of Secretary of Defense; Office of Secretary of 

Defense Policy; DOD Climate Change Working Group; 

Joint Staff; Combatant Commands; Military 

Departments; DOD Office of Intergovernmental 

Affairs, Defense Agencies.

SCALE

Global.

TIMEFRAME 

Efforts to enhance existing collaborations that provide a focus on adaptation to increase mission resilience will continue.

RISKS

• Aspects of the DOD mission, such as Force deployment, may be affected by assets outside our control, such as transportation 

infrastructure.

• The Department cannot effectively assess its vulnerabilities and implement adaptive responses at its installations if 

neighboring communities and stakeholders are not part of the process.

• As climate changes, there may be commensurate alterations in local and regional politics to mitigate food and water 

shortages. These political adjustments could result in increased physical and cyber terrorist attacks from unknown third 

parties. Therefore, DOD should work to strengthen local mechanisms supporting food and water stability and minimizing risk 

to critical systems.

OPPORTUNITIES

• The Department’s decisions around climate change and those of neighboring communities are intrinsically interconnected. 

Strengthening these relationships through DOD natural resources programs such as the Sentinel Landscapes REPI program can 

reduce pollution and its cumulative health impacts and invest in climate-ready infrastructure.

• Extreme weather patterns such as frequent flooding from sea level rise, maximum precipitation events, flash drought, extreme 

heat, and wildfires can have short-term and long-term impacts, often with disproportionate impacts on socially vulnerable and/

or underserved communities. These weather patterns disrupt communities within and external to installations and threaten soil, 

air, and water quality. Inequitable distribution is particularly noticeable where increasingly intense extreme heat threatens 

public health and air quality. Leveraging knowledge to address these impacts and inequities secures our common interests and 

promotes our shared values.

PERFORMANCE METRICS 

Performance metrics will be reviewed and updated to reflect 

evolving understanding of observed and reasonably 

foreseeable climate impacts to collaboration.

RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

DOD administers three grant programs that support 

community coordination with local installations on climate 

change and extreme weather—the longstanding Compatible 

Use Study, the Military Installation Resilience Review 

program, and Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot 

programs. The resource implications to these programs 

and other opportunities to enhance adaptation and 

resilience through collaboration will be reviewed.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION 

Intergovernmental coordination is a critical aspect of this LOE.
21

CHALLENGES/FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS 

Leveraging knowledge and actions when planning climate change adaptation and emergency preparedness and response 

requires expanded collaboration with surrounding communities.

Interaction with other land and/or resource management agencies regarding encroachment challenges may in some cases 

provide new mechanisms for collaboration. The same holds true for expanded relationships with external, non-federal 

government land and resource stewardship organizations, NGOs, and with partner nation military and other appropriate 

organizations for overseas installations.

Military installations coordinate and cooperate with nearby communities for commodities and infrastructure, such as access 

roads and telecommunications. Communities surrounding installations face the same climate change-related challenges as DOD. 

Because these communities are often vital to installation resilience, DOD encourages installations to coordinate and cooperate 

with nearby communities to ensure they remain intact and habitable in the face of ongoing climate change impacts.

HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE 

Department of the Army: The Army Future Command’s Development Command integrated a tactical microgrid with Italy and 

Canada in June 2019 during Capable Logistician, a multinational logistics exercise. The purpose of this exercise was to test 

microgrid interoperability and assess North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standards at Drawsko Pomorskie Training Grounds, 

Poland. The exercise, which included approximately 3,450 troops and representatives from 30 nations, demonstrated several 

innovative, “smart energy” technologies with the potential to reduce fuel waste, improve operational effectiveness, and enhance 

interoperability among NATO forces. The integration was the first example of a multinational tactical microgrid using an open 

standard for power source hardware and software interoperability.

Joint Services: USNORTHCOM reports that climate change is incorporated into the Defense Support of Civil Authorities and into 

the Homeland Defense plans, with respect to Arctic operations. USEUCOM is participating in a NATO assessment of the impacts of 

climate change on deterrence, defense posture, and civil preparedness for the pending 2021 NATO Summit.

Marine Corps Installation West, Camp Pendleton, CA: The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and San Diego County Sherriff’s Department 

are integrating in a live rehearsal exercise (May 2021) in preparation for seasonal wildfire threats to the West Coast. The exercise’s 

purpose is to provide Immediate Response actions according to established procedures during a response request. The exercise 

will employ Marine aviation to support fire suppression operations in the event of a natural wildfire disaster.

MacDill AFB: The United States Fish and Wildlife Service and regional partners designed and implemented a 1.6-mile-long living 

shoreline project starting in 2004. This ongoing project helped to adapt to climate change by creating a natural shoreline 

stabilization system that will adjust to changes in sea level to control shoreline erosion from heavily trafficked shipping lanes in 

Tampa Bay, Florida. The shoreline is composed of oyster reefs on man-made structures, fossilized shells, and coastal marsh plants. 

These decrease wave energy, increase sediment accumulation, improve water quality through oyster filtration, enhance 

biodiversity, and provide habitats for several marine species. This project helps reduce risks to portions of remaining undeveloped 

shoreline in the Tampa Bay region. Six phases of work have been completed to date with several future phases planned to reduce 

risks for another half mile of shoreline.

FOUR TOPIC AREAS

Per the Interim Instructions for Preparing Draft Climate Action Plans Under 

Executive Order 14008 (CEQ 2021) requirements, this plan includes four topic areas, 

information on the current status and desired end state of each topic, and other 

specific requirements.
22 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan

TOPIC 1. 

UPDATE CLIMATE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS

END STATE: Develop and implement methods and approaches to 

update climate vulnerability assessments on a continuing basis to 

reflect new knowledge. 

CURRENT STATUS: Beginning in mid-FY 19, the Office of the Deputy 

Assistant Secretary of Defense, Environment and Energy Resilience 

expanded and updated its capability to perform climate vulnerability 

analyses. The DOD Climate Assessment Tool (DCAT, Gade et al., 2021) 

provides a screening-level assessment of an installation’s future 

climate exposure related to eight hazards: coastal flooding, riverine 

flooding, heat, drought, energy demand, land degradation, wildfire, 

and historical extreme weather events. Climate hazard exposure 

encompasses two scenarios—lower future warming and higher future 

warming—and two future epochs: 2035–2064 (reported at 2050) and 

2070–2099 (reported at 2085). The DCAT provides a consistent 

framework allowing for the addition of more installations, additional 

indicators, and new hazard categories. 

The DCAT results for 1,055 locations worldwide were released in April 

2021 (Pinson et al., 2021). The Department plans to complete climate 

exposure assessments on all major U.S. installations with a target of 

January 2022 and all major OCONUS installations by January 2023. 

The DOD Climate Adaptation Roadmap (DOD 214) describes the 

impacts to DOD with no action. The adaptation implementation 

methods necessary to reduce climate risks are outlined in the focus 

areas described for each LOE above. No specific barriers to 

implementation are identified beyond the risks and challenges 

identified for each LOE. Additional work is required to determine 

timelines and metrics for performance. Additional study is planned to 

determine whether managing risk and overcoming barriers is 

achievable within existing agency resources and to determine if and 

how a specific aspect of the vulnerability either is or will be disclosed 

in annual agency financial reporting and integrated into the agency’s 

enterprise risk management process. 

THE NAVAL OBSERVATORY 

FLAGSTAFF STATION

Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station (NOFS) is an 

astronomical observatory operated as a dark-sky 

observation site by the United States Naval 

Observatory. NOFS’s mission involves the 

analysis and interpretation of astrometric and 

photometric observations. These observations 

are used to perform research and to support 

testing and training requirements for highly 

specialized electronic, cryogenic, optical, and 

infrared instrumentation and techniques. The 

geography, climate, and atmospheric conditions 

of the Flagstaff region make it an ideal location 

for scientific research of the night sky. However, 

over the course of the past decade, astronomers 

have documented that the “seeing” at NOFS has 

degraded significantly as changing precipitation 

patterns have resulted in disruptions to ambient 

and atmospheric conditions. In addition, the 

more pervasive threat to night observations as 

well as physical assets at NOFS Main Site is from 

high-severity fire. Along with the on-the-ground 

impacts of fire, smoke from high-severity 

wildfire can cause damage to sensitive 

equipment and reduce visibility.
23

TOPIC 2. 

AGENCY EFFORTS TO ENHANCE CLIMATE 

LITER ACY IN ITS MANAGEMENT WORKFORCE 

The fact that Topic 2 was identified as a key enabler integral to the success of all DOD climate adaptation efforts (Figure 

1), reflects the importance of this topic area to the DOD. The Department recognizes that the ability to prepare for and 

to respond to climate change risks relies on the knowledge, skills, and capabilities of its workforce and senior leadership. 

The Department is committed to integrating climate change literacy into all its training and education efforts, from 

skill-specific military education to graduate training in the war colleges. 

END STATE: The capability to include climate change considerations and impacts into all relevant and applicable 

DOD decisions. 

CURRENT STATUS: While the Department does possess significant 

climate change-related expertise, such expertise is often confined to 

discrete technical functions or organizations. The intent is to broaden 

this knowledge over time, across the entire DOD workforce. DOD 

Senior Leaders are tasked with translating abstract climate hazards to 

address meaningful emerging risks and to identify gaps in existing 

knowledge and staff capacities. As a result, executive development 

and military professional development training (e.g., War Colleges, 

Naval Postgraduate School) is beginning to include climate literacy 

scaled to the consequences of their decisions. Each Military 

Department has produced guidelines to incorporate climate 

information into installation planning processes (NAVFAC 2017, 

Air Force 2020, Pinson et al., 2020).

While some experts must know how to assess scientifically credible 

information about climate and communicate about climate and 

climate change in a meaningful way to support decision-makers, 

other staff will receive climate literacy training appropriate for their 

functions. For example, installation management teams should attain climate literacy levels to support their riskinformed and responsible decisions. 

Building climate literacy and capability in the workforce appropriate for different functional areas will enable the 

Department to identify and address climate readiness actions across their areas of responsibility and successfully carry 

out the mission in an era of rapidly changing climatic conditions. Climate literacy modules should focus on essential 

principles of climate change as they affect management and financial decisions for different roles and responsibilities.

Collaboration between DOD entities and exemplar business schools with supply chain and logistics specialty advanced 

degree programs, Master of Business Administration (MBA) concentrations, and research institutions could improve 

climate literacy in the supply change and logistics area as academic programs increase their offerings in this area. 

Similarly, supply chain and logistics professional associations (e.g., Association for Supply Chain Management) offer 

training that enhances climate literacy. Curriculum at DOD professional military education institutions, such as the Air 

Force Institute of Technology (which offers related Ph.D. programs) and the Naval Postgraduate School’s MBA logistics 

program, could be updated to add value in the climate literacy area. 

LITERACY TRAINING INITIATED

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Installation 

Management has drafted the DLA Sustainability 

Program Awareness training module for DLA’s 

workforce to keep abreast of the climate change 

efforts the agency has initiated. This training 

effectively communicates DLA’s strategic 

sustainability objectives in alignment with DOD’s 

broader sustainability objectives. As part of the 

Sustainability program, climate change 

adaptation is covered in a portion of the 

training, which elaborates on basic concepts, 

studies, policies, and resources. The training 

module will be accessible through DLA’s learning 

management system and, once launched, will be 

mandatory to all employees.
24 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan

TOPIC 3. 

AGENCY ACTIONS TO ENHANCE RESILIENCE: 

CLIMATE-RE ADY SITES, FACILITIES, AND 

INFR ASTRUCTURE 

END STATE: Installations that can rapidly respond to and recover from disruptive conditions without loss of function or 

adverse impacts to military mission. 

CURRENT STATUS: Since 2010, DOD has developed a comprehensive 

set of policies, directives, and plans to manage the effects of climate 

change on its operations, missions, and facilities. The Department has 

a comprehensive approach to building climate-ready installations. 

This approach considers resilience in installation planning: installation 

master planning, installation energy planning, management of natural 

resources, design and construction standards, utility systems and 

service, and emergency management operations. This approach is 

based on several statutory provisions contained in a variety of 

National Defense Authorization Acts and reflected in Department 

guidance, instruction, and policy. 

For example, the September 2020 update to Unified Facilities Criteria 

(UFC 2-100-01), Installation Master Planning directs installations to 

develop comprehensive installation resilience plans that incorporate 

climate resilience analysis to ensure mission sustainment over the 

intended lifespan of the infrastructure and assets. This document 

provides instruction on the use of climate scenario planning and 

refers to the DCAT and the DRSL Database.

Since 2015, the Department has conducted over 35 site-level energy 

resilience assessments, tabletop exercises, and black start exercises 

to implement its policies. The lessons learned from these initiatives 

were used to develop Department-wide policies and procedures to 

drive behavioral and cultural awareness for installation personnel 

and energy managers. To ensure the readiness of its installations, 

the Department conducts statutory black start exercises where 

installations are disconnected from the wider power grid to 

determine the resilience of on-site power generation. These black 

start exercises were completed at Fort Stewart, Fort Greely, Fort 

Bragg, Hanscom AFB, Vandenberg AFB, Joint Base McGuire-DixLakehurst, and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Figure 2 provides 

a map of all the site-level energy resilience assessments, tabletop 

exercises, and black start exercises. 

INSTALLATION ADAPTATION

Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris 

Island: MCRD Parris Island completed a Climate 

Change Adaptation and Resilience (CCAR) 

assessment that resulted in changes to its 

master plan projects and adaptation strategies 

from spatial planning; to redirecting 

development away from high-risk areas; to 

infrastructure projects to manage and respond 

to sea level rise and effects of climate change. 

Adaptation projects include stormwater system 

upgrades, battalion training facilities elevation 

(main campus), road network upgrades, tidal 

exclusion barrier, page field training facilities 

relocations, and reforestation.

Figure 2. Site-level map of energy resilience assessment 

locations
25

TOPIC 4. 

AGENCY ACTIONS TO ENHANCE RESILIENCE: 

CLIMATE-RE ADY SUPPLY OF PRODUCTS AND 

SERVICES 

LOE 4, Supply Chain Resilience and Innovation addresses the climate-ready supply of products and services. 

END STATE: To establish an enterprise architecture that comprehensively addresses supply chain security challenges and 

leverages opportunities in procurement that support climate adaptation and improve climate resilience. 

CURRENT STATUS: DOD has assessed the resilience and capacity of the manufacturing and defense industrial base and 

supply chains to support national security needs when contingencies occur (DOD 2018c). This report includes extreme 

weather and other events that may disrupt, strain, compromise, or eliminate the supply chains of goods per EO 13806 

(Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense 

Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States, July 

2017). Over the next year, additional climate-specific assessments are 

expected to identify the five most critical or priority supplies or 

services at risk to extreme weather or climate disruption. 

Recently, EO 14017 (America’s Supply Chain, February 2021) explicitly 

highlighted the risks posed by climate change to the availability, 

production, or transportation of critical goods and materials and 

other essential goods and materials. 

The Title III Program under the Defense Production Act (DPA) plays a 

leading role in strengthening the health and resilience of domestic 

supply chains of strategic importance. If invoked in the case of a 

climate disruption, the DPA could be a potential enabler of supply 

chain resilience for DOD.

INNOVATIVE SUPPLY CHAIN

Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) Albany, 

Georgia, is one of two Marine Corps bases that 

provide worldwide, integrated logistics/supply 

chain with distribution management and 

depot-level maintenance management. The 

MCLB Albany 5G Smart Warehouse prototype 

will provide a secure, open standard 5G 

environment enabled by Open Radio Access 

Network, automated asset tracking and 

movement, machine learning, and Zero Trust 

Architectures over a Shared Spectrum Testbed.
26 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan

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Instructions for Preparing Draft Climate Action Plans Under 

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11, 2018. https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/

issuances/dodd/302040p.pdf?ver=2018-09-11-131221-983

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Vulnerability Assessment Survey (SLVAS) Report. Office of the 

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and 

Logistics. January 2018. https://www.acq.osd.mil/eie/

Downloads/Congress/Climate-Related%20Risk%20to%20

DOD%20Infrastructure%20(SLVAS)%20Report.pdf

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Assistant Secretary of Defense (Sustainment), Washington, DC. 

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the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and 

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2002084200/-1/-1/1/CLIMATE-CHANGE-REPORT-2019.PDF

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CHALLENGES%20FISCAL%20YEAR%202021.PDF

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home/dod-guidance/dod-sustainability-analysis-guidance/

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ufc_3_201_01_2018_c4.pdf

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27

DOD. 2020f. Report to Congress. Resilient Defense Infrastructure 

and Military Installations Resiliency. August 2020. Office of the 

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, 

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Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain 

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govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-201700489/pdf/DCPD201700489.pdf

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01765.pdf

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Thames, P.S. O’Brien, C.A. Hiemstra, P.M. Loechl, K.D. White, and 

E.E. Ritchie. (2020). Department of Defense Climate Assessment 

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NAVFAC (2017). Climate Change Planning Handbook: Installation 

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gov/Documents/index.cfm?id=31041

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Thames, P. S. O’Brien, C. A. Hiemstra, P. M. Loechl and E. E. 

Ritchie. (2020). Army Climate Resilience Handbook. Change 1. 

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asaie.army.mil/Public/ES/doc/Army_Climate_Resilience_

Handbook_Change_1.pdf

Pinson, A.O., K.D. White, E.E. Ritchie, H.M. Conners, and J.R. 

Arnold. (2021). DOD Installation Exposure to Climate Change at 

Home and Abroad. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Washington, DC.

Stein, B. A., P. Glick, N. Edelson, and A. Staudt (eds.). 2014. 

Climate-smart conservation: Putting adaptation principles into 

practice. Washington, D.C.: National Wildlife Federation. https://

pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70093621 

Stein, B. A., D. M. Lawson, P. Glick, C. M. Wolf, and C. Enquist. 

2019. Climate Adaptation for DOD Natural Resource Managers: A 

Guide to Incorporating Climate Considerations into Integrated 

Natural Resource Management Plans. Washington, D.C.: National 

Wildlife Federation. 
28 Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan

DOD Defense Science Board published guidance and recommendations 

on adapting and mitigating against the implications of climate change to 

national and international security.

DOD published the 2013 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap.

DOD’s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program 

published these reports:

• Assessing Impacts of Climate Change on Coastal Military Installations: 

Policy Implications 

• Integrated Climate Change and Threatened Bird Population

• Modeling to Mitigate Operations Risks on Florida Military Installations

DOD Defense Science Board considered climate change as a “strategic 

surprise” among global trends and evolving priorities for national 

security objectives.

DOD conducted a preliminary Screening-Level Vulnerability Assessment 

Survey of DOD sites worldwide to impacts from climate change and 

extreme weather (report published in 2018).

DODI 3200.21: Sustaining Access to the Live Training Domain required 

evaluation of risks to training and range capability from the impacts of 

climate change trends.

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) released the 

NAVFAC Climate Change Planning Handbook: Installation Adaptation 

and Resilience.

DOD published the Climate Adaptation for DOD Natural Resource 

Managers: A Guide to Incorporating Climate Considerations 

into Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans (INRMPs).

DOD published the Report on Effects of a Changing Climate to the 

Department of Defense.

U.S. Air Force released Air Force Instruction 90-2001: 

Mission Sustainment.

Secretary of Defense signed the Climate Adaptation Plan 1 September 

2021 as required by Executive Order (EO) 14008.

DOD released DOD Installation Exposure to Climate Change at Home 

and Abroad.

DOD released the DOD Regional Sea Level Rise (DRSL) Database.

DOD updated Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 3-201-02: Landscape 

Architecture and UFC 3-201-01: Civil Engineering to incorporate climate 

change and climate resilience.

U.S. Air Force released Instruction 32-1015: Integrated Installation 

Planning: Assess and Manage Climate Risk.

By February 2022, DOD will update the 2014 Climate

Adaptation Roadmap.

By April 2022, DOD will complete climate exposure assessments on all 

major U.S. installations using the DCAT.

Climate Change Adaptation Working Group established to facilitate 

implementation of the climate change requirements in EO 13514. 

DOD published the Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap.

Quadrennial Defense Review committed DOD to use creative ways to 

address the impacts of climate change on the operating environment 

and roles and missions.

DOD published the 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap.

An Office of the Secretary of Defense memorandum directed DOD 

Components on floodplain management, including climate change 

effects, for DOD installations.

DODD 4715.21: Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience directed 

DOD Components to consider the effects of a changing climate on the 

DOD mission and plan to address these effects accordingly.

DOD Directive (DODD) 3020.40: Mission Assurance stated the Under 

Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment will synchronize 

and integrate mission assurance with policy and efforts of “climate 

change adaptation and resilience.”

DOD Instruction (DODI) 4715.03: Natural Resources Conservation 

Program directed all DOD Components to assess the potential impacts 

of climate change to natural resources on DOD installations and take 

steps to implement adaptive management to ensure the long-term 

sustainability of those resources.

DOD Manual 4715.03: INRMP Implementation Manual.

DOD Report: Climate-Related Risk to DOD Infrastructure Initial 

Vulnerability Assessment Survey.

DOD submitted a report to Congress on Resilient Defense Infrastructure 

and Military Installations Resiliency.

DOD updated UFC 2-100-01: Installation Master Planning to institute the 

DRSL Database for sea level change and include use of the DCAT.

U.S. Army released the Army Climate Resilience Handbook.

U.S. Air Force released the Severe Weather/Climate Hazard Screening 

and Risk Assessment Playbook.

U.S. Army released the Army Directive 2020-08: U.S. Army Installation 

Policy to Address Threats Caused by Climate and Extreme Weather.

U.S. Air Force released the Air Force Manual 32-7003: Environmental 

Conservation, which includes historical and projected climate.

DOD updated UFC 1-200-02: High Performance and Sustainable 

Building Requirements to ensure appropriate incorporation of climate 

change impacts.

The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment 

released memo Improving Defense Installation Resilience to Rising

Sea Levels.

In September 2021, DOD will publish the Secretary of Defense signed 

Climate Adaptation Plan (CAP).

By December 2021 the DOD Sustainability Report and Implementation 

Plan will align with the CAP.

By April 2023, DOD will complete climate exposure assessments on 

all major OCONUS installations using the DOD Climate Assessment

Tool (DCAT). 

By April 2023, DOD will share DCAT with five partner nations and allies.

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The submarine USS Hartford surfaces near Ice 

Camp Sargo during Ice Exercise 2016 in the Arctic 

Circle, March 19, 2016.

An HH-60W Jolly Green II sits under bright lights 

used to create heat in the McKinley Climatic Lab 

March 19 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The Air 

Force’s new combat search and rescue helicopter 

and crews experienced temperature extremes 

from 120 to minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit as well 

as torrential rain during the month of testing. 

The tests evaluate how the aircraft and its 

instrumentation, electronics and crew fare 

under the extreme conditions it will face in the 

operational Air Force.

On September 5, 2019, trainees at Fort Jackson, 

S.C., stack sandbags for use throughout the 

hurricane season. The Army recently introduced a 

new directive to prepare the service’s installations 

against the growing threat of climate change.

Air Force Airman 1st Class Veronica Mollema 

loads pallets of water into a C-17 Globemaster 

at Joint Base San Antonio-Kelly Field, Texas, 

February 21, 2021.

Representatives from the Alaska Department of 

Military and Veterans Affairs, the Department of 

Environmental Conservation, and the 

Department of Commerce, Community and 

Economic Development load onto an Alaska Army 

National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in 

Chevak, Alaska, on April 9, 2021 to meet with 

tribal leaders and citizens in Bethel, Tuluksak, 

and Chevak to discuss disaster assistance 

measures and preparation for the upcoming 

flood season.