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Media Advisory: The International Military Council On Climate And Security Offers Expertise On Humanitarian Assistance And Disaster Relief To Assist During COVID-19 Crisis
The International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) is a group of senior military leaders, security experts, and security institutions across the globe dedicated to anticipating, analyzing, and addressing the security risks of a changing climate. Many in this network have significant experience and expertise in planning and executing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) missions, including in the face of naturally-occurring disasters.
In this context, the IMCCS Leadership feels it is its duty to offer advice and expertise to assist, in some small way, with management of the ongoing COVID-19 threat. The IMCCS Leadership and Participants below are available to receive inquiries from the media and the public (this list will be regularly updated).
Military Times: Pentagon still preparing for climate change
BEAUMONT, Texas (Sept. 3, 2017) U.S. Army Soldiers and U.S. Navy Sailors load water for delivery to victims of Hurricane Harvey, Sept. 3, 2017. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Larry E. Reid Jr.,/Released)
There’s a great article in the Military Times today by Tara Copp detailing the degree to which the U.S. military continues to prepare for a changing climate, and the attendant impacts on its mission. In the piece, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cmdr Patrick Evans states:
“As Secretary Mattis has said, the department evaluates all potential threats that impact mission readiness, personnel health and installation resilience, then uses that information to assess impacts and identify responses,” Evans said. “The effect of a changing climate is one of a variety of threats and risks, but it’s not a mission of the Department of Defense.”
Though this approach by the Department of Defense is not surprising, given the military’s long history of attention to the issue stretching back to 2003, and the unequivocal statements on the subject from at least four senior Pentagon leaders in the current Administration (Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis; Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Paul Selva; Secretary of the Navy, Richard Spencer; and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment, Lucian Niemeyer) the article provides an important look into the very real and practical risks climate change and related weather events pose to military infrastructure and operations. This is especially in focus for the Department of Defense in the wake of hurricanes Irma and Harvey, which have had a significant impact on the military in a number of ways, both in terms of its role in the relief effort, and the exposure of its infrastructure and assets. From the article: (more…)
Naval Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response Week
At the request of the government of the Philippines, USS Ronald Reagan & elements of her Carrier Strike Group provided humanitarian assistance/ disaster response in the wake of Typhoon Fengshen. U.S. Navy photo by Spike Call
Last week was Naval Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief (HA/DR) week at the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC). CIMSEC featured a variety of different articles from experts grappling with the complexity of managing all of the moving parts related to HA/DR missions. A climate-changing world is adding another layer of stress and complexity to these missions, as well as adding incentives to continue to improve prevention, preparedness and response coordination between civilian and military counterparts. Below is a list of articles published by CIMSEC. Worth a read. (more…)
Drones, 3D Printing, Climate Change and Humanitarian Aid: Technology for Good
Jeff Bezos’ announcement that his company, Amazon, would use drones in the future to deliver its goods has sparked a lot of discussion about the use of this technology in the civilian world. A significant portion of the media attention to drones up until this point has been on their use as weapons and the accidental targeting of civilians. (more…)