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Watch: CCS Expert Webinar Explores Extreme Weather and Disinformation
By Tom Ellison
Information manipulation by authoritarian states, extremist movements, and private interests is increasingly contributing to and capitalizing on extreme weather, undermining security and democratic discourse.
That was one key message from a recent webinar from the Center for Climate and Security (CCS), which brought together national security, climate, and information experts for a discussion available to watch here. Deputy Director Tom Ellison gave an overview of CCS’s work on climate security, information manipulation, and democratic governance, with support from the John and James L. Knight Foundation. This work aims to close gaps at the collision of security, climate, and information issues, including analysis of how actors like Russia amplify climate disinformation to weaken democratic rivals, and exercises on how US states and cities can reckon with intensifying climate, security, and information challenges.
(more…)We’re Hiring: Research Fellow for the Center for Climate and Security
The Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) seeks to hire a full-time Research Fellow for the Center for Climate and Security (CCS). This is an entry-level position focused on supporting our research on addressing climate security risks and solutions. The person in this role will work closely with the CCS Director, Deputy Director, and other members of the CCS team.
Preparing for Disaster: Climate-Related Provisions in the FY26 NDAA
By John Conger
On December 19, President Trump signed the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was passed with bipartisan support by Congress.
While the tone of both the Pentagon and Congress has shifted in recent years, and explicit discussion of climate change as a national security issue has been deprioritized, the operational impacts of climate-driven hazards are clearly reflected in this year’s legislation. Where past NDAAs emphasized long-term resilience, Arctic strategy, or climate risk assessments, the FY26 NDAA focuses more narrowly and pragmatically on preparing the force for wildfires and natural disasters that are already affecting military operations, installations, and personnel.
This shift mirrors operational reality. US forces—particularly the National Guard—are increasingly deployed domestically in response to extreme weather events. The Center for Climate and Security tracks these trends through its Military Responses to Climate Hazards (MiRCH) Tracker, which documents the growing tempo and scope of military disaster response missions.
Food Trade Chokepoints & US National Security in 2040
By Sarah Danon, Saro Naomi Gakusi, Ivette Povis Landa, Jane Pan, and Claire Reichle
Edited by Caroline Baxter, Lily Boland, and Francesco Femia
Executive Summary
This study examines how the intersection of climate, geopolitical, and security threats can intensify vulnerabilities surrounding critical chokepoints in the global food trade system, and posits that these converging risks not only threaten global food security but also drive systemic threats to US national security. A strategic foresight approach is used to examine plausible future scenarios for global food trade and explore potential chokepoint disruptions and their cascading risks. The analysis concludes that maintaining secure maritime food trade is vital to US national security and provides recommendations to mitigate trade disruption and promote food security.
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