Climate change is threatening military operations and soldiers in Arizona, across the nation and worldwide, warns a retired brigadier general who now heads a research and public policy organization that examines long term threats to national security.  

Estimates put Arizona as the fourth–fastest warming state and Phoenix as the second-fastest warming city in the nation, and that’s placing the military at risk here, said retired U.S. Marine Brigadier General Stephen Cheney, president and CEO of the nonprofit American Security Project (ASP) in Washington, D.C.  

“Extreme heat, drought and wildfires affect the day-to-day lives of Arizonans and Arizona businesses, and climate change really impacts military training and readiness,” said Cheney, who recently spoke to a group of Arizona government and community leaders at an event entitled National Security in the Time of Climate Change. 

The event was hosted by the nonprofit Arizona Forward, which advocates for a balance between economic development and environmental quality in the state.

“National security is typically not a top of mind issue when we consider climate change,” said  Lori Singleton, president and CEO of Arizona Forward that partnered with ASP, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Association of Defense Communities to “spotlight this critical topic.” 

Heat, drought impact Arizona’s seven military bases

In Arizona, this summer’s record-breaking heat wave is undoubtedly impacting the state’s military bases, Cheny said. While the state hasn’t seen the devastation that bases in the country’s Hurricane Alley have suffered, the extreme heat impacts outdoor training and even the ability to deploy quickly, Cheney said. 

“When temperatures reach 90 or above in the military, we call it a black flag day and literally raise a flag where all outdoor physical training stops,” said Cheney, a 30-year veteran of the Marine Corps and former member of the Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board and the Department of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board.

Extreme heat also can prevent a military plane from taking off to deploy troops to an assignment, he said. 

Heat exhaustion, dehydration among soldiers rising  

Active duty members suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion also are on the rise, said Cheney, citing a joint report issued by NBCNews and InsideClimateNews last year.

More U.S. troops are falling to heatstroke as the military struggles to balance training with rising temperatures, according to the . Statistics show that in 2008, there were 1,766 cases of heat stroke or heat exhaustion among active duty members. By 2018, that number had grown to 2,792, a 60 percent increase, he said.

“It’s really posed a huge risk, certainly the health impacts, and some estimates are that it cost the military $1 billion just for that decade,” Cheney said.

Damage to military installations costing taxpayers

The U.S. Department of Defense maintains installations worldwide worth over $1.2 trillion that are critical to U.S. national security. In the past several years, military bases have seen extensive damage from climate change, Cheney said.

For example, Hurricane Florence in 2018 caused an estimated $3.6 billion in combined damages to three bases in North Carolina: Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air Station New River, and Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point. 

Military funds had to be reallocated to handle hurricane repair along with curtailing training and deployments, Cheney said.  

Not the radical left wing

Cheney, who has seen firsthand the damage caused by increasingly erratic weather at military bases, said he and other retired military officials and others are trying to create awareness around the topic that often is described as a “left wing” issue, he said. 

“It’s not a Republican or Democrat issue. It’s a national security issue and it’s not going away,” Cheney said. 

Worldwide conflicts and instability also can be tied to climate change, he said. One example is the long drought in Syria that dried up agricultural yield, driving people from rural areas into cities that helped fuel conflicts with ISIS. 

Military and national security initiative for carbon-free air

The ASP, its board and more than 80 military and national security leaders that have joined its  Consensus for American Security want to raise public awareness about concerns that affect national security like climate and energy security, terrorism, economic competitiveness, trade, public diplomacy, and more.

Through research, they are making public policy recommendations to forge bipartisan consensus on national security strategy.

Among the policies they are recommending to address changing weather are investment in  clean and renewable energy, more weather resistant military installations and global partnerships to fight climate change. 

“We really can’t afford to ignore the risks,” Cheney said. “If there’s one thing that’s threatened most, it’s our national military and we’re seeing it worldwide.”

To read more about the ASP and threats to national security, go to: . 

About Arizona Forward 

is the state’s leading sustainability not-for-profit organization that has successfully worked on major environmental initiatives for Arizona since 1969. The organization leverages its collective power by forming partnerships with Arizona business leaders, local and state officials, state education leaders and policymakers to drive how the state can best grow its communities, stimulate the economy and enhance the environment.

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A bipartisan bill making its way through Congress could be a major step forward to expand modern border security technology to help streamline commerce, safeguard intellectual property and derail criminals along the Southwest border. 

Expanding technology like autonomous towers, ground sensors, electro-optical cameras, lasers, chemical detectors, X-rays and other devices would aid U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in carrying out its two-fold mission: to facilitate trade and protect national security, proponents of the bill said.  

“Our bipartisan bill improves border security technology to help strengthen security and keep Arizona safe,” said Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who introduced the bill in the Senate along with Texas Senator John Cornyn (R). 

Continuing to modernize technology along the heavily trafficked border is particularly important for Arizona, which relies heavily on trade and supply chains with Mexico, said Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce and Industry. 

“The trade flows between Arizona and Sonora and the rest of Mexico are central to the state’s overall economic health,” Hamer said. “Data reveals that Arizona trade with Mexico in 2018 was over $16 billion, a 7.7% increase from the previous year.”

Bill would assess technology gaps “mile-by-mile”

The bill, the Southwest Border Security Technology Improvement Act of 2020, would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to assess the technology needs along every mile of the 2,000 mile border in conjunction with physical barriers. 

Under the legislation, Homeland Security would take a more detailed look at emerging technologies, including manned and unmanned aerial systems, tower-based surveillance technology, and tunnel and other detection devices. DHS also would be required to consider and examine the impact of public health emergencies like the coronavirus on border security. 

The analysis would help the agency strengthen terrorist prevention, reduce criminal activity and explore new technologies, the co-sponsors said.

DHS would be required to report back on areas where improvements could be made. A border security technology plan then would be developed to procure or develop identified technologies. 

The bill recently cleared the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and now is on its way to the full Senate. A mirror version of the bill was introduced in the House last week by Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.) and Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas).

Among those in support of the bill are the Border Trade Alliance, the Border Patrol Council and the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents the nation’s CBP officers and trade enforcement specialists.

U.S. investing in unmanned towers, sensors, imaging technologies 

Over the past few years, border agencies have been investing more in emerging commercial technologies for more efficient operations and capabilities.

In the past two years, Homeland Security has been investing in , formerly known as Innovative Towers, that operate off-grid with 100 percent renewable energy and provide autonomous surveillance operations 24 hours per day. CBP recently entered into a contract with “virtual border wall” startup Anduril for over 140 unmanned surveillance towers to put in place in 2021 and 2022.

The agency also is testing technology at ports of entry that will allow CBP personnel to see an image inside commercial trucks at a border crossing before drivers pull up for inspection. The technology would make it easier for officers to make faster and better informed decisions about which cargo trucks to stop for more thorough inspections.

To read the bill in its entirety, go to: .

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