Climate Change: Risks for National Security

Today, the U.S. Navy is preparing for an open Arctic, the Marines are deploying in response to historic typhoons, and the Army is preparing its bases to use less energy than they produce.

Climate change is already a major consideration for US military planners. Meanwhile, American politicians continue to ignore the issue.

Join us for a discussion with senior flag officers as they discuss the steps the US military has taken and future implications for our national security.

Speakers

Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Ret.)

Brigadier General Cheney is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Security Project (ASP). He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and has over 30 years experience as a Marine.  His career included a wide variety of command and staff positions with the operating forces and the supporting establishment.  His primary specialty was artillery, but he focused extensively on entry-level training, commanding at every echelon at both Marine Corps Recruit Depots, to include being the Commanding General at Parris Island.  He served several years in Japan and has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and Asia

Other selected highlights of his military career include tours as Deputy Executive Secretary to Defense Secretaries Cheney and Aspin; ground plans officer for Drug Enforcement Policy in the Pentagon; liaison to the Congressional Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces; and Inspector General of the Marine Corps.

Following retirement from the Marines, he became the Chief Operating Officer for Business Executives for National Security (BENS), in Washington, D.C., and most recently was President/CEO of the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, Texas.

Lieutenant General Norman Seip, USAF (Ret.)

General Seip was the Commander of 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern), Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. As the Commander, Air Forces Southern, a component to the Combatant Commander, U.S. Southern Command, he oversaw Air Force assets, five forward-operating locations, and civil and military engagements in Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. General Seip was a command pilot with more than 4,500 flying hours, primarily in fighter aircraft.

He flew the F-15E in support of operations Southern Watch, Northern Watch and Iraqi Freedom. As the Deputy Combined Forces Air Component Commander for U.S. Central Command, General Seip had a direct impact in supporting combat operations in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. He currently serves on the Executive Advisory Council of MISSION READINESS: MILITARY LEADERS FOR KIDS, a nonprofit, bi-partisan organization of more than 140 retired senior military leaders.

Andrew Holland

Andrew Holland is the American Security Project’s Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate. He is a Washington-based expert on energy, climate change, and infrastructure policy. He has over seven years of experience working at the center of debates about how to achieve sustainable energy security and how to effectively address climate change.

Prior to moving into the Think Tank world, he was a Legislative Assistant on Energy, Environment, and Infrastructure for United States Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska from 2006 through 2008.  He also has experience working in the US House of Representatives for the House Ways and Means Committee and the Office of Congresswoman Roukema.

He holds a Master’s Degree in International Strategy and Economics from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and a  Bachelor’s Degree in History and Economics from Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

This is a joint event with the World Affairs Council Las Vegas

Resources:

National Security and Climate Change

Security Impacts of Climate Change

Pay Now, Pay Later: A State-by-State Assessment of the Costs of Climate Change

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