A list of DOD’s most recognizable installations could lose some of their current operational activities due to climate change vulnerability, Federal News Network reported Wednesday.
House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee Chairman John Garamendi (D-Calif.) said lawmakers are reconsidering some installations’ activities following year of extreme weather events and damage.
“We need to take into consideration whether every action needs to take place at that base,” he said. “These are bases that will continue to be at risk in the future. Is there a better place for those activities to take place? That analysis is being done.”
Installation repairs from recent weather events will cost billions, and the Democrat-controlled House may seek to change the activities of vulnerable locations.
In January DOD sent a climate change report to Congress detailing that 53 of 79 mission-critical bases are vulnerable to recurrent flooding, while 60 of those listed would face flooding within 20 years.
Additionally, 43 bases are currently susceptible to drought, and potential wildfires threaten 36 bases.
DOD issued a second report in March listing the top 10 bases vulnerable to climate change including the Washington Navy Yard; Joint Base Andrews, Md.; Beale Air Force Base, Calif.; Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; Ft. Meade, Md.; Ft. Detrick, Md.; and Ft. Bragg, N.C.
Rep. Garamendi will be a featured speaker at ADC’s upcoming 2019 National Defense Communities Summit June 10-12.
Air Force photo by Senior Airman Javier Alvarez
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