April 22, 2010

On the Front Lines: Climate Change and the Combatant Commands

By: Christine Parthemore, Herbert Carmen and Will Rogers

As the U.S. military responds to the national security implications of climate change, the regional combatant commands will make the operational and tactical level decisions about how to adapt. In every region of the world, the changing climate will influence political, social, economic, environmental and cultural trends in ways that could destabilize societies or exacerbate conflicts. These developments will present new challenges to combatant commanders and U.S. military and civilian officials operating in their respective areas of responsibility (AOR). In this working paper, CNAS Senior Military Fellow Commander Herbert E. Carmen, USN, CNAS Bacevich Fellow Christine Parthemore and CNAS Research Assistant Will Rogers focus on the six geographic combatant commands as a way to address the effects of climate change and related energy security challenges on U.S. national security interests in regions across the globe.

Authors

  • Christine Parthemore

  • Herbert Carmen

  • Will Rogers

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