Climate Change and the National Defense Authorization Act

This briefing outlines the evolution of climate change integration within the US National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA) between 2017 and 2021. It details a progression from the initial declaration of climate change as a national security threat to specific mandates for installation resilience, Arctic security strategies, intelligence community coordination, and the assessment of climate impacts on operational warfighting capabilities.

• The US Congress established a foundational security baseline in 2017 by declaring that climate change constitutes a direct threat to US national security and affects stability in current and future conflict areas.
• Between 2018 and 2021, the NDAAs progressively strengthened military installation resilience through requirements for new construction to account for 100-year floodplains, the incorporation of climate considerations into installation master plans, and the creation of a Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Tool.
• Legislative focus expanded to Arctic security, including the requirement for an updated Arctic Strategy by June 2019, the procurement of six new Coast Guard icebreakers, and addressing permafrost thaw damage at Eielson Air Force Base, AK.
• The FY22 NDAA shifted focus toward 'mainstreaming' climate impacts by requiring assessments of how climate change affects operational missions, warfighting capability, and the deployment of forces via strategic highway, rail, air, and sea networks.
• The US government integrated climate science into the intelligence community by creating a Climate Security Advisory Council and a National Academies Climate Security Roundtable to inform intelligence analysis.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2022). Climate Change and the National Defense Authorization Act. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NDAA-CC-Backgrounder-2022.pdf

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. Climate Change and the National Defense Authorization Act. 2022. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NDAA-CC-Backgrounder-2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=Climate Change and the National Defense Authorization Act |date=June 2022 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NDAA-CC-Backgrounder-2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2022climate, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{Climate Change and the National Defense Authorization Act}}, institution = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NDAA-CC-Backgrounder-2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }