GAO – DOD Needs to Better Incorporate Adaptation into Planning and Collaboration at Overseas Installations

Severe Erosion at a Department of Defense (DOD) Munitions Storage Complex in the Pacific

The expected impacts of weather effects associated with climate change pose operational and budgetary risks to overseas infrastructure according to the Department of Defense (DOD), but DOD does not consistently track the impacts’ estimated costs. Operational risks (including interruptions to training, testing, and missions) and budgetary risks (including costs of repairing damages) are linked to these impacts. However, installations inconsistently track these costs because there is no requirement for such tracking. Without a requirement to systematically track such costs, DOD will not have the information it needs to integrate climate-related impact resource considerations into future budgets.

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: DOD Needs to Better Incorporate Adaptation into Planning and Collaboration at Overseas Installations GAO-18-206: Published: Nov 13, 2017. Publicly Released: Dec 13, 2017.