Inspector General Robert P. Storch announced today that the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General released a report on the “Audit of Climate Change Adaptation and Facility Resilience at Military Installations in California.”
The DoD OIG found that installation officials at the four California installations reviewed did not incorporate climate-related environmental risks, infrastructure vulnerabilities, and risk-reduction measures into their Master Plans as required. In addition, three of the four installations did not prepare required climate assessments.
Although officials at the four installations did not fully plan for climate resiliency or prepare climate assessments as required, the DoD OIG found that DoD did implement measures to protect facilities from the effects of climate change and extreme weather events such as wildfires, drought, and flooding in the near future.
“Climate change and extreme weather events could negatively impact mission readiness,” said IG Storch. “It’s critical for Military Services to undertake proactive assessment and long-term planning measures to safeguard mission capabilities against climate-related environmental risks and infrastructure vulnerabilities.”
To address the issues identified in this report, the DoD OIG made 11 recommendations to the DoD, including to prepare climate assessments, update installation Master Plans, and incorporate training on climate assessments for appropriate personnel.
The DoD OIG will continue to monitor the DoD's progress toward full implementation of these recommendations.