First up, a Pentagon report released earlier this month identifies climate change as a “threat multiplier” and “a critical component of future
defense strategy.” The
Quadrennial Defense Review (
PDF download), as the official document is known, is a periodic assessment by the U.S. Department of Defense of strategic objectives and potential military threats. It describes the United States' military doctrine — a common frame of reference across the branches of the military.
According to the 2014 edition:
As greenhouse gas emissions increase, sea levels are rising, average global temperatures are increasing and severe weather patterns are accelerating. These changes, coupled with other global dynamics, including growing, urbanizing, more affluent populations and substantial economic growth in India, China, Brazil and other nations, will devastate homes, land and infrastructure. Climate change may exacerbate water scarcity and lead to sharp increases in food costs. The pressures caused by climate change will influence resource competition while placing additional burdens on economies, societies and governance institutions around the world. These effects are threat multipliers that will aggravate stressors abroad such as poverty, environmental degradation, political instability and social tensions — conditions that can enable terrorist activity and other forms of violence.
As for how all this affects the Defense Department’s mission and methods:
The impacts of climate change may increase the frequency, scale and complexity of future missions, including defense support to civil authorities, while at the same time undermining the capacity of our domestic installations to support training activities.
On the other hand, it notes:
Our actions to increase energy and water security, including investments in energy efficiency, new technologies and renewable energy sources, will increase the resiliency of our installations and help mitigate these effects.
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/03...climate-change