If you Google “arcane bureaucratic tool” the Department of Defense Directive (DODD) should be high on the results list. That said, these little-known directives can be very influential in how the Pentagon conducts its day-to-day business. Late last week, Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work signed out a DODD that may just be the most meaningful climate-related document the Department of Defense has released.

The document is mercifully short, at just seven pages of substance. The directive immediately states, in plain English, the impact of climate change on the Department:

“The DoD must be able to adapt current and future operations to address the impacts of climate change in order to maintain an effective and efficient U.S. military” to include:

1. Identification and assessment of the effects of climate change on the DoD mission.
2. Taking those effects into consideration when developing plans and implementing procedures.
3. Anticipating and managing risks that develop as a result of climate change to build resilience.

Pretty simple: Adapt to the climate impacts seen today and projected tomorrow; anticipate and manage climate-related risks to ensure the DoD can continue to successfully carry out its missions.

Continue reading on the Center for Climate and Security.