The report was commissioned by former Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley.



The report warns that the effects of climate change will keep the U.S. Army busy containing the aftereffects worldwide, as populations are forced to move and place pressure on one another.

Resource shortages and disruptions worldwide, including within the U.S. itself, could weaken the Army.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Tropical disease epidemics. Millions displaced by flooding clashing with people on higher ground. Energy shortages in the U.S. curtailing training and even the ability to deploy troops overseas. A new report paints a grim picture of the Earth’s future with the problems themselves and the U.S. Army efforts to contain them hamstrung by the effects of climate change. The report warns that unless the Army—and the rest of the services—must plan to mitigate these effects if they are to remain combat-ready.

The report, commissioned by the former Army Chief of Staff and now Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, was commissioned “to explore diverse areas of importance for the Army that are or will be likely affected by climate change and to develop reasonable, useful recommendations in connection with those areas.” The article takes climate change as an ongoing phenomenon as a core assumption while noting that over two-thirds of the American public worry about the negative effects a “fair” to “great” amount.

California Army National Guard troops pick through a burned out home in Northern California, October 2016. David McNew Getty Images

The report mentions several effects of the climate change phenomenon that will make life harder for the U.S. military. At home, disruptions in the power grid caused by wildfires—such as those recently experienced in Northern California—could cut military bases off from electricity for even the most basic of demands. Public opinion and legislation might also curtail the amount of fossil fuels the Pentagon could use, forcing a cutback on training. Climate change might even affect stockpiles of fuel for nuclear weapons, as water-cooled reactors that produce tritium are impacted by rising water temperatures.

At the same time, the Military will be sent to restore order in a world pushed into disorder. Population pressure is historically a major driver of human conflict. Climate change, the authors of the report contend, could force tens or even hundreds of millions of people from their homes in search of a new beginning on higher ground—except other people already there. This could provoke civil disorder or even fighting between different countries, as one tries to protect its citizens and the other works to keep refugees out. Countries could also go to war over diminishing natural resources, particularly fresh water supplies.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

The report also warns that tropical diseases will become a greater challenge to global public health than ever before. Rising temperatures will accelerate the spread of tropical diseases, overwhelming the ability of local health organizations to respond. The expeditionary nature of the U.S. armed forces, designed to travel thousands of miles and accomplish dangerous missions, makes them in some ways well suited to respond. The U.S. government could send the Army in to help stem the spread, as it did with Ebola in the Congo in 2014-2015.

A water support technician fills up a bladder with purified water, January 2019. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Samuel Ruiz

Meanwhile, the act of deploying the Army overseas is set to be more dangerous and logistically challenging. A lack of local water, a given on modern military missions, will force the military to ship its own water supplies overseas just to keep forces in the field hydrated. The stress of climate change on local, less advanced energy grids will compel the U.S. Army and other services to bring their own power sources along.

The report urges the Army—and the rest of the Pentagon—to begin planning for climate change now to mitigate any oncoming disruptions. The report has no recommendations for battling the buildup of carbon dioxide levels that are raising temperatures, but warns that the service must learn to live with the effects while still capable of performing its core mission.

Source: VICE News