[The Hill] The Pentagon will now consider climate change when planning war games and will incorporate the issue into its future National Defense Strategy, according to a Wednesday announcement.
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"There is little about what the [Defense] Department does to defend the American people that is not affected by climate change. It is a national security issue, and we must treat it as such," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
"The Department will immediately take appropriate policy actions to prioritize climate change considerations in our activities and risk assessments, to mitigate this driver of insecurity."
Austin announced the change after President Biden earlier on Wednesday signed a series of executive orders aimed at addressing the climate crisis.
The shift means the Department of Defense (DOD) will now "include the security implications of climate change in our risk analyses, strategy development, and planning guidance," according to Austin.
"As a leader in the interagency, the Department of Defense will also support incorporating climate risk analysis into modeling, simulation, wargaming, analysis, and the next National Defense Strategy. And by changing how we approach our own carbon footprint, the Department can also be a platform for positive change, spurring the development of climate-friendly technologies at scale," he said.
The Pentagon since 2010 has acknowledged that climate change could pose a threat to where the military operates and its roles and missions. |