The Center for Climate and Security’s Military Expert Panel, including senior retired flag and general officers from each of the Armed Services, recently issued the 2nd edition of a report concluding that sea level rise risks to coastal military installations will present serious risks to the military mission, underscoring a ‘Responsibility to Prepare.’ The report includes new information regarding military installation vulnerabilities, including to the energy and transportation infrastructure that these installations depend on, showing significant risks to high-value military sites – in South Carolina and across the country. The report asserts that policies for addressing climate change risks must go beyond military infrastructure resilience, to include the resilience of surrounding civilian infrastructure, as well as the resilience of military operations in the face of these rapid changes.

Please join the Center for Climate and Security, the Henry Jackson Foundation, and the Charleston Resilience Network in a discussion with elected officials, military leaders, and resilience experts about the risks that sea level rise poses to national security and South Carolina's coastal communities, and the ways in which all levels of government, academia and the private sector can collaborate to address them.

Event Agenda

Introduction: Caitlin Werrell, Co-Founder, The Center for Climate and Security

Preparing for a Climate Changed Future: Addressing Climate Risks to the Military’s Mission

• Brigadier General Stephen Cheney, USMC (Ret.), American Security Project, Former Commanding General, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island

• Heather L. Messera, Moderator, Senior Fellow for Government Affairs, The Center for Climate and Security

Readiness and Resilience for Southeastern Military Installations and Communities

• Billy Keyserling, Mayor of Beaufort, SC

• John J. Tecklenburg, Mayor of Charleston, SC

• Ginnie Kozak, Planning Director, Lowcountry Council of Governments, Project Manager for the MCRD Parris Island and MCAS Joint Land Use Study

• David Johnston, Charleston Resilience Network

• Rear Admiral Ann C. Phillips, USN (Ret.), Moderator, The Center for Climate and Security, Former Director of Surface Warfare, Chief of Naval Operations Staff

Closing Remarks

• Susan Wickwire, Vice President, Board of Governors, The Henry M. Jackson Foundation

Film Screening and Discussion - Tidewater

• Colonel Mark “Puck” Mykleby, USMC (Ret.), The Center for Climate and Security, former special strategic assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

• Rear Admiral Ann C. Phillips, USN (Ret.), The Center for Climate and Security, Former Director of Surface Warfare, Chief of Naval Operations Staff