By Tom Ellison

From June 20-21, the Center for Climate and Security (CCS) gathered its 2023-2024 Climate Security Fellows in Washington, DC as a culmination of their ten-month program. During this first-ever Climate Security Fellowship Summit, attendees reflected on the program experience and had a chance to engage with distinguished panelists from Department of Defense (DoD) National Security Council (NSC), and State Department backgrounds, and heard career advice from former fellows and CCS staff who now occupy key diplomatic, defense, and peacebuilding roles. Fellows also had a chance to learn more about the Council on Strategic Risk’s other ecological, nuclear, and biological risk fellowships and socialize with the broader fellowship community.

From left to right: Climate Security Fellows Laura Leddy and Kelsey Harpham; former NSC Director for Resilience Nabeela Barbari; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Environment and Energy Resilience Richard Kidd IV; Climate Security Fellows Audrey Thill, Madeline Craig-Scheckman, and Nadia Seeteram; CCS Deputy Director Tom Ellison; and Climate Security Fellow Benjamin Huynh. 

The Fellows represent backgrounds including security cooperation, water diplomacy, climate adaptation and resilience, public health, data science and international relations. From September 2023 through June 2024, participants worked through a curated climate security curriculum covering food and water security, conflict and instability, migration and justice, the energy transition, health, finance, military and intelligence services, strategic competition, and science communication. Fellows then participated in interdisciplinary seminars on each theme with CCS staff and distinguished experts, whose experiences span development, defense, diplomacy, intelligence analysis, climate science, academia, and the private sector (see below). 

The Climate Security Fellowship supports a key element of CCS’s theory of change–cultivating a climate-strong national security workforce. As they conclude their fellowship, participants are better equipped to ask and answer the vexing, interdisciplinary questions posed by climate change for peace and security. Looking ahead, CCS aims to continue expanding and strengthening its fellowship programs and alumni community. 

Thanks to the speakers and panelists who lent their time to the 2023-24 Climate Security Fellows:

• Alejandra Portillo-Taylor, Policy Advisor, International Committee of the Red Cross
• Alexandra Naegele, Research Scientist, Woodwell Climate Research Center
• Amali Tower: Founder, Climate Refugees and CCS Advisory Board Member
• Brigitte Hugh: Global Resilience Policy Advisor, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Arctic and Global Resilience
• Brittany Croll: Senior Program Officer, US Institute of Peace (USIP)
• Christina Chan: Senior Director, BRAC Climate Hub and former Managing Director for Adaptation, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (SPEC) 
• Cullen Hendrix: CCS Non-Resident Fellow and Peterson Institute for International Economics Senior Fellow
• Esther Sperling: Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisitions and Sustainment
• John Conger: CCS Director Emeritus and Senior Advisor, former Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)
• Josh Busby: Professor, University of Texas-Austin and former DOD Senior Advisor for Climate
• Julia Duncan: Global Director for Development Finance, Bayer
• Kate Guy: Managing Director for Climate Security and Cross Cutting Issues, SPEC
• Marcus King: Professor of Practice and Director, Master of Science in Environment and International Affairs, Georgetown University and CCS Advisory Board Member
• Nabeela N. Barbari: Executive Vice President, OTH Solutions and former NSC Director for Resilience
• Richard G Kidd: CCS Advisory Board Member and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Environment and Energy Resilience
• Scott Moore: Director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives, University of Pennsylvania
• Sherri Goodman: CSR Board Chair and International Military Council on Climate and Security Secretary General
• Tegan Blaine: Director of Climate, Environment and Conflict, USIP
• Zoran Mihailovich: Intelligence Community