This interview is part of a series in which Center for Climate and Security (CSS) and Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) interns interview members of the CCS and CSR Advisory Boards and other key voices in the climate and security field. Vanessa Pinney interviewed Ann Phillips, member of the CCS Advisory Board and the CSR Governing Board, a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, and the first female Director of Surface Warfare in the Pentagon, who currently serves as the Special Assistant to the Governor of Virginia for Coastal Adaptation and Protection – a Cabinet position. The responses have been edited for length and clarity.