EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Background. Senate Report 114-67 accompanying the fiscal year 2016 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies appropriations bill included language directing the DoD to include an assessment of coastal erosion and potential flooding risks in the siting of proposed military construction projects. In a July 23, 2015, report to Congress regarding the security implications of climate-related risks, the Department noted that is has directed a global screening level assessment to determine installation vulnerabilities to climate-related security risks with the goal of identifying serious vulnerabilities and developing necessary adaptation strategies. The Committee directed the Secretary of Defense to report to the congressional defense committees not later than 120 days after enactment of this act, describing the results or the status of the vulnerability assessment, the adaptation strategies developed for vulnerable installations, and the estimated costs associated with implementing these strategies.
The Department of Defense (DoD) has significant experience in planning for and managing risk and uncertainty. The effects of climate and extreme weather represent additional risks to incorporate into the Department’s various planning and risk management processes. Various studies have identified a broad range of effects that could impact our ability to fully execute the Defense mission of protecting and maintaining the security interests of the United States at home and around the world.
Survey Process. To identify DoD installations with vulnerabilities, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment [OASD(EI&E)], initiated a preliminary Screening Level Vulnerability Assessment Survey (SLVAS) of DoD sites worldwide.
The web-based survey was developed in concert with the Military Services, Defense Logistics Agency and Washington Headquarters Services, as the infrastructure owning/managing components. Qualitative survey questions were framed to begin to identify sites with current weather-related effects and where more comprehensive assessment may be needed in order to identify potential effects of extreme weather. The survey questions focused on observed effects from past severe weather events (which may be indicative of more frequent and/or more severe future conditions), and the proximity of site acreage to any flood-prone areas. The survey asked respondents to identify any negative effects they may have experienced from extreme weather effects, both on the assets on the DoD site itself as well as any observed effects on similar assets in the surrounding community that provided supporting services (e.g.,utilities, transportation, emergency response) for the DoD site. These included:
• Flooding due to storm surge
• Flooding due to non-storm surge events (e.g., rain, snow, sleet, ice, river overflow)
• Extreme temperatures (both hot and cold)
• Wind
• Drought
• Wildfire
The asset c ategories evaluated included:
- Airfield Operations (on and off-site)
- Training Areas/Ranges (on-site)
- Piers/Waterfront Services (on and off-site)
- Personnel Support (on-site)
- Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and
- HQ Buildings (on-site)
- Information Systems (on and off-site)