{"id":61380,"date":"2019-06-12T16:37:31","date_gmt":"2019-06-12T16:37:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/06\/12\/dod-needs-to-do-more-to-deal-with-climate-change-impact-on-bases-says-new-report\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:17:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:17:31","slug":"dod-needs-to-do-more-to-deal-with-climate-change-impact-on-bases-says-new-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2019\/06\/12\/dod-needs-to-do-more-to-deal-with-climate-change-impact-on-bases-says-new-report\/","title":{"rendered":"DoD needs to do more to deal with climate change impact on bases says new report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last October, a Category 5 hurricane slammed into Tyndall Air Force Base<\/a>, on the Gulf Coast of Florida, causing nearly $5 billion in damage and forcing thousands of airmen, their families and the base\u2019s squadrons to relocate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then in March, storms and rapidly melting snow flooded the Missouri River, causing more than $400 million in damage to Offutt Air Force Base<\/a>, Nebraska. In light of increasingly severe weather caused by climate change<\/a>, the Defense Department needs to take steps to reduce their impact on installations according to the National Wildlife Federation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe approximately 25 million acres of land managed by DoD are integral to the military\u2019s mission of keeping our nation secure,” the authors wrote in a guide released Tuesday. \u201cAs such, there is an operational need to ensure that current and future climatic changes do not compromise the ability of installations to serve their essential operational, training, and testing functions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The 325th Maintenance Group’s building lay in ruin following Hurricane Michael on October 10th, 2018. Hurricane Michael is the third largest hurricane to make landfall in the United States, reaching peak winds of 155 miles per hour. (Staff Sgt. Alexander C. Henninger, U.S. Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClimate Adaptation for DoD Natural Resource Managers<\/a>,\u201d the federation\u2019s 128-page manual funded by the Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program, lays out a process to identify and then mitigate the risks for vulnerable bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor example, in Alaska, rising temperatures are causing permafrost to melt, which not only alters ecosystem composition and functioning but can compromise transportation networks and other military assets,\u201d the authors wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Southwest has to deal with wildfire risk from drought killing off vegetation, they added, while the Northeast is dealing with flooding from heavy rains and the Southeast\u2019s coastal marshes are overflowing from sea level rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a DoD report released in January, the majority of U.S. military installations are at risk: 53 of the 79 for flooding; 43 of the 79 for drought and 36 of the 79 from wildfires \u2015 not including Marine Corps bases, which were not studied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And back in 2016, the Union of Concerned Scientists<\/a> published a report finding that rising sea levels could cause major period flooding, daily flooding or completely submerge parts of at least 18 U.S. military bases by the end of the century, including the entirety of Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to structures and equipment, flooding, fires and other disasters can disturb plant and animal life, which have a big impact on installation readiness, according to the NWF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVegetation cover protects against soil erosion that can damage facilities, while healthy wetlands are important in protecting built infrastructure from flooding and storm damage,\u201d according to the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\t