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Rats, Hawks and Fighter Jets: Climate and National Security in the American West
The drought in California is taking its toll on farmers throughout the region, but the fallow fields are also having an unexpected impact on Naval flight exercises. Here & Now reports that pilots at Lemoore Naval Air Station in California, one of the west’s largest Naval bases, have found that fallow fields increase the prevalence of avian predators like red tailed hawks, and increase the likelihood of bird strikes. (more…)
U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice on Syria, Drought, Climate & Conflict
The TV network Showtime has just released the first episode of its newest production, Years of Living Dangerously, which is investigating how climate change is already impacting our lives and security. A major thread of the first episode of the series is the drought in Syria in the years prior to the uprising (from 2006-2010/11). New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, who has been bringing attention to the issue since 2012, when he wrote about our report in “The Other Arab Spring,” visits the Syria/ Turkey border and hosts a series of interviews there and in Washington, DC. One such interview was with Susan Rice, U.S. National Security Advisor. In the interview, transcribed below, Rice does not mince words on climate change being a national security issue, and echoes our assessment from 2012: (more…)
U.S. Navy Announces Early End to Alaskan Ice Camp
On March 23, the U.S. Commander of Submarine Forces (COMSUBFOR) announced an early closing to Ice Camp Nautilus in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, a “temporary structure built and operated especially for Ice Exercise 2014 (ICEX-2014).” According to an official announcement from the Commander:
The U.S. is a Pacific Nation, Here Is Why That Is Relevant to National Security In A Changing Climate
On March 10, the U.S Senate hosted a discussion on climate change. Sen. Schatz, representing a Pacific state, has a unique perspective on how climate change will play a role in the security of the Asia-Pacific region, and his statement for the Congressional record goes into great detail on this facet of the issue. The statement also provides a thorough look at how the U.S. is preparing for the security risks of climate change in the Pacific, in the Arctic and in the U.S. homeland.
Below we have copied Senator Schatz’s statement for the record. You can find the full Congressional record here. It is worth a read for all those interested in national security writ large.