RETIRED GENERALS, ADMIRALS: CALL FOR NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATE ON GLOBAL WARMING IMPACTS

Washington, DC -  General Gordon R. Sullivan, Former Chief of Staff, U.S. Army and Chairman of the Military Advisory Board, which recently released the report National Security and the Threat of Climate Change, sent a letter today in support of H.R. 1961, the Global Climate Change Security Oversight Act. The legislation as introduced by Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) would require a National Intelligence Estimate and other evaluations of the impacts on military operations from global warming.

GEN. Sullivan writes that his group found that “significant changes in global climate may exacerbate conditions which can lead to the growth of terrorism, especially in already stressed regions where governments may be hard-pressed to meet the basic resource needs of their people – food, potable water, arable land, protection from disease and rising sea levels.”  The Military Advisory Board called for a National Intelligence Estimate on potential climate change impacts because they “are concerned that climate change may affect military operations, scope and frequency of missions, our bases and, most importantly, our personnel in all services around the world.” 

These military leaders understand that global warming is a national security issue and that our intelligence and military establishments must include impacts from global warming in their planning. As GEN. Sullivan’s letter states, “We remain convinced that planning for potential national security implications of climate change is a smart and necessary component in America’s ongoing fight against terrorism.” 

(The full letter can be found here)

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