New DoD Reports on the Security Implications of Climate Change

Abstract: In October 2021, the Office of the Secretary of Defense released two new climate change reports to ensure that DoD is prepared to both meet increased demand for missions and carry out those missions under a changing climate: the DoD Climate Risk Analysis (DCRA) and the Climate Adaptation Plan (CAP). The DCRA is the first DoD report focused on the strategic and mission implications of climate change and lays out a path for integration of climate considerations across DoD strategic documents. The complementary CAP sets out five lines of effort to ensure that DoD can operate under changing climate conditions. As Secretary of Defense Austin's stated at the release of the DCRA: "Climate change is shaping our strategic interests. Competitive advantage in the future will go to those who can fight and win in this rapidly changing strategic and physical environment. To deter war and protect our country, the Department must understand the ways climate change affects missions, plans, and capabilities."

Bio: Annalise Blum is a hydrologist and environmental engineer who specializes in climate and environmental security policy. She currently serves as the senior advisor for climate to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities at the U.S. Department of Defense. In this role, she leads efforts integrating climate change into DoD strategic documents and co-leads the Resource Competition, Environmental Security, and Stability (RECESS) group. She is also a CNAS Next Generation National Security Leaders Fellow and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Ms. Blum has over a decade of experience leading multi-disciplinary research in the United States, Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia on water security, extreme events, and the impacts of climate change. Previously, she was an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in Stability and Humanitarian Affairs at DoD and has worked at Johns Hopkins University, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Meteorological Society, the US Geological Survey, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Ms. Blum has received Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. She has a Ph.D. in environmental and water resources engineering from Tufts University, M.S. from UNC-Chapel Hill, and a B.S. from Stanford University.