The 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), which will shape DoD strategy and policy for the next four years, makes clear that a strategic approach to climate change and energy continues to be a high priority for the Department. The QDR articulates that the impacts of climate change may increase the frequency, scale, and complexity of future missions, as well as undermine the capacity of our domestic installations to support training activities, and that investments in energy technology will make for a stronger and more effective fighting force.

DoD’s operational readiness depends on access to land, air, and sea training and test space. Consequently, DoD will complete a comprehensive assessment of all installations to assess the potential impacts of climate change on our missions and operational resiliency, and develop and implement plans to adapt as required. SERDP has been and will continue investing in the science and tools needed to assess the impacts and vulnerabilities to climate change in a wide range of environments critical to the DoD, including coastal installations, the arctic, Pacific Islands, and the desert Southwest.

The QDR also references actions to increase energy and water security, including investments in energy efficiency, new technologies, and renewable energy sources that will increase the resiliency of our installations. ESTCP, through the Installation Energy Test Bed, has ongoing investments in evaluating building energy efficiency technologies, distributed generation, microgrids, and design tools. Emerging technologies offer a path to respond to the challenges laid out in the QDR and the Test Bed provides a means for DoD to acquire cost and performance information in a real-world environment that will allow managers to make smart and informed investment decisions.

You can find out more about SERDP and ESTCP investments in climate change and installation energy at the respective web pages.