DoD
-
Three Climate Issues to Watch in Defense Bills this Fall
This year, climate issues have been drawn into tense and partisan political debates. Here are three climate issues to keep an eye on as Congress moves defense legislation this Fall.
-
Expert Reactions to U.S. Department of Defense’s Inaugural Biodefense Posture Review
The inaugural Biodefense Posture Review represents a major step in recognizing the severity that biological threats pose to national security. It reflects the dedication of the DoD to conduct an extensive review of its policies, plans, and authorities, and evaluate the modernization required to successfully achieve the goals of the DoD’s mission as laid out…
-
Changing Tone, Shifting Priorities and Continuing Progress: Lessons from a House Armed Services Committee Hearing under the New Republican Majority
On February 28, 2023, the Readiness Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee held its first hearing of the new Congress, with new Chairman Mike Waltz (R-FL) presiding, a handful of new Members joining the Subcommittee, and a newly minted Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment, Brendan Owens, joining his service counterparts…
-
Unpacking the Pentagon’s $3.1 Billion Climate Request
By John Conger On March 28, the U.S. Federal Budget request for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY2023) was released, officially kicking off the Congressional budget season and the ensuing posture testimonies, staffer briefs, and associated deep dives into the details of the budget. With that first release, however, the Department of Defense (DoD) had not yet…
-
New Pentagon Inspector General Report on Climate Resilience in the Arctic: Key Takeaways
By Erin Sikorsky Last week, the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General (IG) released a new report evaluating the climate resilience of US military bases in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic that provides a revealing glimpse of some of the challenges and opportunities facing the DoD as it works to implement climate security measures across its…
-
RELEASE: Top Experts Release Handbook for Ending Catastrophic Biological Risks
December 20, 2021, Washington, DC – In a time of daily confusion in the public discourse on the current pandemic, the Janne E. Nolan Center on Strategic Weapons, an institute of the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR), is releasing A Handbook For Ending Catastrophic Biological Risks: How The United States Can Prevent Future Pandemics and…
-
The U.S. Department of Defense Releases its Climate Adaptation Plan
Today, the U.S. Federal Government released Climate Adaptation Plans from all of its agencies. The Department of Defense (DoD) plan can be found here, as well as a statement from Secretary of Defense Austin and the DoD press release. It’s an impressive successor to the 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap, and its ambition reflects the…
-
BRIEFER: Key U.S. Initiatives for Addressing Biological Threats Part 3 – The Biological Threat Reduction Program
By Bill Beaver, Christine Parthemore, and Dr. Nikki Teran Today the Nolan Center, an institute of the Council on Strategic Risks, is releasing a briefer on the future of a key yet little-known U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) program for addressing biological threats – the Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP). The first case of COVID-19…
-
The Pentagon Previews Climate Adaptation Plan in Congressional Hearing
By John Conger On July 14, 2021, the Readiness Subcommittee of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee held a virtual hearing on the installations and environment portfolios of the Department of Defense (DoD). The witnesses were: Paul Cramer, the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense (Sustainment); Jack Surash, the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense (Installations, Energy…
-
Climate Security: A Tale of Two Defense Hearings
By John Conger Sometimes you want to hear from the very top, and sometimes you want to get into the details. In the last couple of weeks, the U.S. Congress has done both, and each one teaches us something important about the way the Department of Defense (DoD) is planning to deal with climate change…