In 2016, the DoD issued directive 4715.21 Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience.21 This directive, “…establishes policy and assigns responsibilities to provide the DoD with the resources necessary to assess and manage risks associated with the impacts of climate change. This involves deliberate preparation, close cooperation, and coordinated planning by the DoD to:
- Facilitate federal, State, local, tribal, private sector, and nonprofit sector efforts to improve climate preparedness and resilience, and to implement the 2014 DoD Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap.
21https://dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/471521p.pdf
- Help safeguard U.S. economy, infrastructure, environment, and natural resources.
- Provide for the continuity of DoD operations, military services, and programs.”
There is no question that climate change poses a major challenge to national security and DoD facilities. In early 2021, shortly after President Biden signed a series of executive orders targeting the climate crises, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that the Pentagon will feature the issue as part of its future National Defense Strategy.22
While these policies focus on mission readiness, the DoD has also embraced guidance to improve natural resource management on DoD installations. The comprehensive resource, ‘Climate Adaptation for DoD Natural Resource Managers: A Guide to Incorporating Climate Considerations into Integrated Natural Resource Management Plans’ (Stein et al. 2019) is a significant milestone for climate change planning and, if applied effectively, will mean more effective INRMPs and installation management going forward.
Next Page: Other issues of conservation significance and the policies which govern them
Author
J. Douglas Ripley, Environmental Consultant U.S. Air Force (Retired)
With updates and Additional contributions by: James van Ness, Senior Level Attorney Advisor Office of the Secretary of Defense