The Defense Science Board in a recently released study recommended that the Pentagon anticipate global crises and potential conflicts caused by climate change and prioritize investments in new systems and technologies to mitigate the trend.

Climate change has emerged as one of the most concerning and pressing challenges in modern times and poses severe challenges for both national and global security, the year-old "2023 Defense Science Board Summer Study on Climate Change and Global Security" released Sept. 2 stated. Stresses due to climate change affect how the department operates and how it should look to strengthen strategic deterrence and prepare for potential conflict, the report added.

“The global impacts of climate change and the failure of current diplomatic approaches to mitigate its effects mean that time is of the essence for the DoD to prepare to operate in a climate-changed environment,” the study stated.

Chaired by Dr. Eric Evans, director emeritus and fellow at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and co-led by Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, vice president for research and partnerships at the University of Oklahoma and retired Navy Vice Adm. Michael Franken, the report presents research, findings and recommendations to address five main challenges: geopolitical stability and domain challenges; climate situational awareness and decision support; force readiness; resource scarcity and supply chain vulnerability; and diplomacy and opportunities in adversity.

There are many regions that present different or more significant challenges due to the impacts of climate change, such as “greater accessibility in the Arctic and uninhabitability in parts of Africa,” requiring the department to prepare for conflict in more innovative ways. The report found that “resilient infrastructure, sustainable energy sources and adaptive military strategies” are crucial to maintaining operational effectiveness and decision superiority as climate change transforms the modern battlefield.

The department must also understand the impacts of climate change in order to anticipate its effects, leveraging advanced climate situational awareness and modeling data sets, techniques and applications to support efficient decision making. The report found that existing climate modeling programs and data sets are not designed for defense systems and are therefore insufficient. There is also need for improved climate education across the military services.

The department must work toward improving readiness, infrastructure and base protection to support operations in extreme environments affected by climate change, the report said. It called for the development of a global strategy for facilities management and infrastructure resilience. Warfighter health and performance grows “increasingly challenged” by climate change effects, it added.

Climate change and its impact on the modern battlespace will likely lead to new forms of conflict, such as weaponization of supply chains and critical resources. Resource scarcity will contribute to “more frequent and complex regional instability and conflict,” and supply chains will grow increasingly strained by climate impacts. The department must begin to take new approaches, like increased monitoring, to anticipate these effects, according to the report,

The Pentagon must improve adaptation and resiliency to climate change by adopting a “more proactive and strategic approach,” the report stated. This means it must actively leverage its relationships and partnerships with allies and the commercial industry to address climate challenges.

“To effectively navigate future challenges, our report encourages the Department of Defense to establish a dedicated climate planning cell and collaborate with other U.S. agency partners on climate situational awareness, modeling and decision support,” Díaz de la Rubia said in a press release. “This proactive approach will enable the DoD to anticipate instability and respond more swiftly to emerging threats.”