UCLA

Within the past 25 years, climate change has been a constant and often polarized topic of

discussion within the scientific, academic, and political communities. This thesis provides a

holistic review of the effects of climate change as it pertains to U.S. military installations and the

ability of the military to project force abroad. Recent climatic events and assessments conducted

by the Department of Defense have pegged climate change as a persistent threat to the structural

integrity and operational capacity of military bases at home and abroad. Politically, there is a

disconnect between this reality and an administration that wants to prioritize global force

projection while ignoring climate change, one of the most salient threats to its military.