Climate Change as a National Security Threat

September 15, 2025

Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Joshua Busby was featured in a recent article published by Defense One on the growing role of climate change in U.S. national security strategy. In the article, co-authored with Greg Pollock, Dr. Busby outlined how rising temperatures, extreme weather, and sea-level rise are already imposing significant costs on military infrastructure and readiness, while also driving new strategic challenges at home and abroad.

“We agree with the Trump administration that fighting climate change should not be the primary focus of our national-security establishment…However, all Americans should want our military to integrate consideration of climate change into its planning and operations,” argues Busby. “Failure to plan for operating conditions that are changing fundamentally would be a colossal strategic mistake.”

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