Military’s Evolving Role in Climate Security Challenges

Military forces worldwide are no longer solely focused on traditional warfare. As climate change intensifies extreme weather events and resource scarcity, armed forces have become critical first responders to natural disasters, strategic players in environmental security, and key actors in maintaining national stability during climate-driven crises.

The military as a nation-building pillar 🔗

The armed forces serve multiple foundational roles in any nation. Beyond their primary duty of defending borders and protecting citizens, militaries function as political actors in internal governance and project national strength on the international stage. However, their role has expanded dramatically in recent decades.

Today, military forces increasingly respond to natural disasters and extreme climate events that traditional civilian agencies cannot handle alone. In October 2024 alone, the Military Responses to Climate Hazards tracker documented 48 military deployments in response to severe storms, floods, and wildfires across 11 countries. This shift represents a fundamental transformation in how nations conceptualise military readiness and deployment.

The capacity of armed forces to mobilise rapidly, coordinate logistics across vast territories, and operate in hostile environments makes them uniquely suited for disaster response. Their hierarchical command structures enable swift decision-making during emergencies when civilian coordination mechanisms might falter.

How environment shapes military strategy 🔗

Environmental factors have always influenced military operations. Terrain, weather patterns, and resource availability determine where bases are positioned, how budgets are allocated, and when operations can be executed effectively. Military strategists have long understood that knowledge of environmental conditions combined with terrain analysis creates tactical advantages, reduces casualties, and helps estimate resource requirements.

Climate change is now forcing militaries to reconsider these strategic calculations. Research by RAND Corporation suggests that U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in some of the hottest places on the planet, may be called upon less to fight wars and more to airdrop humanitarian supplies or evacuate people from disaster zones. This represents a fundamental shift in military planning and resource allocation.

The physical environment where militaries operate is changing rapidly. By 2050, projections indicate that Iran could experience 30 days annually when heat and humidity pose extreme dangers to human health. Jordan could lose more than 70 percent of its surface water. Rising sea levels could displace millions in coastal regions. These changes demand new approaches to base infrastructure, equipment design, and personnel training.

Climate as a threat multiplier 🔗

Security analysts increasingly describe climate change as a threat multiplier rather than a direct cause of conflict. The distinction matters. Climate stress rarely causes wars on its own. Instead, it exacerbates existing tensions, strains governance systems, and creates conditions where conflict becomes more likely.

Consider the 2018 protests in Basra, Iraq. Temperatures soared past 120 degrees Fahrenheit while power outages disabled air conditioning. Canals became too polluted for basic use. Though unemployment and government corruption drove protesters into the streets, the extreme weather made every grievance more unbearable. The result was three summers of violence that killed dozens and injured hundreds.

Environment as a strategic weapon in conflict 🔗

In modern conflicts, the environment has become both a casualty and a weapon. Water resources increasingly serve as targets or triggers for violence, particularly in the Middle East, southern Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. Armed groups contaminate water sources, destroy food supplies, mine agricultural land, and attack critical infrastructure to gain strategic advantage.

Violence over water resources in Africa increased by approximately 34 percent during 2022-2023. In Burkina Faso, at least 32 water facilities were destroyed between January and May 2022, affecting nearly 300,000 people. These attacks ranged from direct strikes on water points to deliberate contamination and sabotage of generators powering public water networks.

Research examining conflict dynamics in Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, and Somalia has identified six types of water weaponisation: strategic, tactical, coercive, unintentional, psychological, and extortive. In 2014, when the Islamic State seized the Mosul Dam on the Tigris River upstream from Baghdad, they gained theoretical capability to flood the area where allied forces were based, drawing the United States deeper into the conflict.

Water conflicts and transboundary tensions 🔗

Freshwater represents a strategic natural resource in every region, but particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where water ecosystems drive regional dynamics. The unequal distribution of freshwater continues generating conflicts, with power asymmetries between neighbouring nations determining outcomes.

Flashpoints have been identified in the Nile Basin, the Tigris-Euphrates River systems, and along the Afghanistan-Iran border. The dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam exemplifies these tensions. Egypt has described the dam as a threat to its very existence, with its president warning that all options remain open if Ethiopian actions affect Egyptian water supply.

India’s military response to climate disasters 🔗

India provides a compelling case study of military adaptation to climate challenges. The country has experienced numerous climate disasters in recent years: the Mumbai floods of 2005, the Uttarakhand cloudburst of 2013, the Kashmir floods of 2014, and the Kerala floods of 2018. In each instance, the Indian military demonstrated its capacity for effective disaster response.

Operation Surya Hope: Uttarakhand 2013 🔗

The Uttarakhand floods of 2013, caused by record off-season monsoon rains, cloudbursts, and glacial lake outburst floods, affected millions and stranded over 100,000 pilgrims and tourists in Himalayan religious sites. The Indian Army’s Central Command launched Operation Surya Hope, one of the largest humanitarian missions in the military’s history.

The operation aimed to provide assistance to stranded individuals in remote regions like Badrinath, Hemkund, and Kedarnath. By June 23, 2013, 83 aircraft were involved in evacuation, relief, and rescue tasks, including 45 Indian Air Force helicopters, 13 Army helicopters, and 25 civilian aircraft. These crews operated in hazardous mountain conditions, often flying through rain and fog.

Medical teams established hospitals and clinics throughout affected areas, treating thousands of patients daily. Army psychiatrists opened trauma counselling centres, while veterinary teams established aid posts to care for ponies and mules stranded in high-altitude areas.

Kerala floods 2018: Multi-service coordination 🔗

When torrential monsoon rains devastated Kerala in August 2018, the Indian Army deployed 10 flood relief columns of approximately 65 personnel each across ten districts. Additionally, 10 Engineer Task Forces of 40 personnel each were mobilised from bases across India.

The Indian Air Force deployed 23 helicopters and 11 transport aircraft to Kerala, along with over 100 Navy, Army, and Coast Guard boats with diving teams. The Indian Navy’s Southern Naval Command initiated Operation Madad, serving as one of the earliest responders and earning widespread appreciation for rescuing stranded civilians.

The rescue mission, named Operation Sahyog, saw military personnel construct numerous temporary bridges to evacuate abandoned people. Eight army columns were distributed across affected regions, with soldiers stating that quick action saved lives and property in flood-hit areas.

Kashmir floods 2014: Operation Megh Rahat 🔗

The Armed Forces deployed over 30,000 troops during the 2014 Kashmir floods, with 21,000 in Srinagar and 9,000 in Jammu. The response included 15 engineer task forces, 84 aircraft and helicopters, naval commandos, and multiple field hospitals. By September 18, 2014, over 80,000 affected people had been airlifted to safety.

The Army established 19 relief camps where rescued persons received food, shelter, and medical assistance. In the first seven days, the army and air force flew 1,081 sorties, moving 1,411 tonnes of relief materials including water filtration plants capable of processing 120,000 bottles daily.

Specialised military capabilities in disaster management 🔗

Military teams bring specialised capabilities that civilian agencies often lack. Teams including doctors, nurses, and engineers are trained to handle extreme conditions methodically. Their equipment-water boats, helicopters, heavy-lift aircraft-enables rescue operations that would otherwise be impossible.

Modern militaries are increasingly integrating climate considerations into equipment procurement, training cycles, and infrastructure planning. This includes developing technologies that can operate in extreme temperatures, designing bases resilient to flooding and storms, and training personnel for humanitarian operations alongside traditional combat readiness.

The frequency of climate-related military deployments continues increasing. In November 2024, Spain’s largest-ever peacetime troop deployment of 7,500 military personnel responded to catastrophic flooding in Valencia that killed more than 200 people. The Portuguese Armed Forces also sent personnel and equipment to support Spanish authorities.

International coordination and capacity building 🔗

Climate disasters increasingly require international military coordination. When successive typhoons struck the Philippines in October 2024, the Indonesian Armed Forces, Royal Brunei Air Force, Royal Malaysian Air Force, and Singapore Air Force sent aircraft to support Philippine operations. This cooperation demonstrates how climate hazards can strain domestic emergency services, requiring regional military partnerships.

India has conducted bilateral exercises to enhance coordination for disaster relief operations, including Operation Tiger Triumph with the United States. Such exercises improve interoperability between military forces and build capacity for responding to increasingly frequent and severe climate events.

The evolving mission 🔗

The military’s role in climate security represents a fundamental expansion of traditional defence mandates. Armed forces must now prepare simultaneously for conventional threats, humanitarian emergencies, and the complex interplay between environmental stress and political instability.

This evolution requires new investments in training, equipment, and doctrine. It demands cooperation across civilian and military agencies, between national governments and international organisations. Most importantly, it requires recognising that climate change has become a central security challenge of the twenty-first century.

The evidence from recent years makes clear that militaries will continue responding to climate-driven disasters with increasing frequency. Whether in the flooded streets of Kerala, the fire-scorched landscapes of California, or the storm-ravaged coasts of the Philippines, armed forces have become essential actors in protecting civilian populations from climate impacts.

What do you think? As climate disasters become more frequent and severe, how should nations balance military investment between traditional defence capabilities and disaster response readiness? Should international frameworks establish clearer protocols for military cooperation during climate emergencies?

References

1. https://climateandsecurity.org/2024/11/october-2024-update-military-responses-to-climate-hazards-mirch-tracker/
2. https://www.rand.org/pubs/articles/2024/how-climate-change-will-affect-conflict-and-us-military.html
3. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03883-w
4. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/africa/state-of-africas-environment-violence-over-water-resources-increased-by-34-during-2022-23
5. https://commonhome.georgetown.edu/issues/spring-2024/climate-change-and-the-water-weapon-how-rising-temperatures-are-expanding-the-footprint-of-conflict/
6. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.863903/full
7. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/05/water-wars-flashpoints-identified-in-africa-asia-and-the-middle-east.html
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Surya_Hope
9. https://reliefweb.int/report/india/flood-relief-operation-indian-army-kerala-17-aug-2018
10. https://ipdefenseforum.com/2018/09/indian-armed-forces-rapidly-deploy-to-assist-flood-victims-in-kerala/
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sahyog
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Armed_Forces_and_the_Jammu_and_Kashmir_floods,_2014
13. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2024/07/10/world-climate-and-security-report-2024/
14. https://climateandsecurity.org/2024/12/november-2024-update-military-responses-to-climate-hazards-mirch-tracker/
15. https://www.vifindia.org/article/2024/june/10/Humanitarian-Assistance-and-Disaster-Relief