The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is studying the ways in which it can update its departmental building standards in order to make military bases and other sites less vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including the increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters. 

During a recent joint hearing of the two House Armed Services Committee subcommittees, Robert H. McMahon, assistant secretary of defense for sustainment, told lawmakers, "As we look out over the last decade or two decades, the challenges and threats we face within our installations have grown dramatically." 

McMahon added, "It's climate. It's the challenge we also face with regards to natural disasters, whether that be earthquakes, whether that be forest fires, whether that be deforestation or drought."

The efforts to guard against climate change-induced disasters by the military come as DoD officials work to meet a slew of "emerging threats" to military installations, including minimizing the use of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in fire fighting training exercises, hardening certain bases against the use of electromagnetic pulses, and acknowledging that "the climate is changing and [finding] solutions to ensure military installations remain resilient and ready," according to the DoD website.