The Navy’s Vanguard Against Rising Sea Levels

From adversaries whose capabilities continue to grow, to the realms of cyberspace, the United States is prepared to face a multitude of both domestic and international threats. However, there is one emerging issue the United States is not ready to face: climate change. Mother Nature is perhaps the biggest threat to U.S. national defense and to our way of life. She is on the doorsteps of the nation’s military facilities and installations and presents an ever-increasing danger. 

To protect the operational readiness of the fleet, U.S. coastal bases must be prioritized and conserved. The Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) has the capabilities to provide both military and engineering expertise to develop a comprehensive effort to combat rising seas. In addition, Seabees will have the ability to implement these efforts abroad and preserve the assets that allow the continued power projection of the Navy. The Navy must address rising seas more seriously, before they cause great damage to military installations. The Navy must take advantage of the CEC, which has the professionals with the can-do attitude to battle this problem.

The United States must protect strategic assets and focus on ensuring military readiness and security against climate change. Despite the political debate surrounding the issue, sea level rise is happening and is perhaps the most concerning effect of climate change. The National Ocean Service reported that in 2014 the sea level was 2.6 inches higher than in 1993.¹ This caused flooding that is estimated to be 300–900 percent more frequent in U.S. coastal communities than it was just 50 years ago.² A National Climate Assessment taken in 2014 predicted two scenarios for the rate of sea level rise: intermediate and highest. Intermediate assumes a moderate rate of ice-cap melting that predicts a rise of 3.7 feet globally by the year 2100. Highest assumes rapid loss and acceleration that predicts a rise of 6.3 feet.³ By the end of the century, the coast we now know will be habitable only by sea creatures, as it indisputably will be underwater. This affects coastal facilities and installations owned by the Department of Defense (DoD), not just civilian communities.

DoD maintains more than 1,200 military installations in the United States that are vital for maintaining national security. Historically, they are well protected, but floodwaters are not dissuaded by armed checkpoints. A three-foot increase in sea level would critically threaten 128 coastal DoD installations.⁴ These bases will be in critical condition within the century, according to the National Climate Assessment. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a national nonprofit organization founded by MIT, performed an analysis of 18 military installations to determine the effects of sea level rise. The study’s conclusions were shocking. It was discovered that with only moderate sea level rise, 16 of the 18 installations could flood 100 times per year by 2050. A quarter of these installations could lose up to 25 percent of their land area, and with a fast-rate scenario, this number grows to 75–90 percent.⁵ This is an unacceptable loss for the United States and would seriously hinder the financial stability, overall readiness, and general security of its military.

DoD already has started initiatives to ensure climate change does not severely affect defense capabilities, but these efforts are not enough. A recent U.S. Army War College Study concluded, “The Department of Defense is precariously underprepared for the national security implications of climate change–induced global security challenges.”⁶ Recent catastrophes highlight this point and should provide a stern warning. In 2018, Hurricane Michael hit Florida’s Tyndall Air Force Base, causing an estimated $5 billion in damage.⁷ 

While the future readiness of the military is clearly in danger, the CEC provides the perfect skills to handle such an issue. CEC officers are certified engineers and military leaders who have experience working with the military and civilians. A typical career for these officers includes tours working with the Seabees, working in construction management, and running public works for DoD facilities. Because of this experience, CEC officers have the most comprehensive knowledge of base operations of any billet in the Navy. In addition, the officers must be certified engineers with master’s degrees in an engineering or architecture field. This gives them a higher level of technical understanding than most of their counterparts in other Navy communities. 

CEC officers use this technical experience with Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NavFac) to ensure installations are maintained, sustained, and provide operational readiness for the fleet and Fleet Marine Force. NavFac delivers solutions to optimize the life cycles of shore facilities and base support. They are the experts on acquisitions, public works, capital improvements, and management of Navy facilities. The head of NavFac is a CEC admiral, but most of the command comprises civilian government employees. Thus, CEC officers act as the natural translators between civilian engineers and commanding officers of bases. They are the prime tool to battle rising sea levels, as they have both technical and military backgrounds, have experience working with contractors, and have the most comprehensive knowledge of a base’s operations. Ideally, new CEC officer billets should be funded for positions dedicated to preparing bases against sea level rise. Research also should be funded to explore new ideas to protect these bases, and eventually these successes can be shared with civilian communities around the world. The CEC has the skills to solve the issues related to climate change, but the issues do not stop at domestic readiness.

Sea level rise is not just an issue for the United States. With the majority of the world’s population living near a coast, the threat is international. Even worse, according to the United Nations, the effects of climate change disproportionately burden developing countries.⁸ The extreme weather, rising sea levels, and hotter climate have disrupted the ability of many of these countries to obtain clean water and reliable incomes.⁹ It is predicted that East Asia will be the most severely affected by sea level rise, given its vulnerabilities to the Pacific Ocean. Many of the countries at risk are U.S. allies, such as the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, and Indonesia. The Asian Development Bank estimates that sea level rise will cost $864 billion by the end of the century because of the damage to or loss of the assets these countries have on the coast.¹⁰ There are dozens of developing countries in need of help, lest they fall into economic and humanitarian ruin. In addition, it will directly affect Navy power-projection capabilities if U.S. allies go underwater.

Since World War II, the United States has worked relentlessly to build strong relationships with countries in the Pacific. This remains an imperative to ensure the Navy can project power in the region and check the threat of China and North Korea. All of this is at risk because of climate change. Airstrips and ports in the Pacific are in danger of being underwater. If the Navy is unable to save these assets, the capabilities to operate in the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean will diminish significantly. 

If the United States can better use the CEC in fighting sea level rise, it can also do so with the Seabees. The Seabees are an important soft-power tool because they offer engineering and construction capabilities in challenging and diverse environments. Currently, there are detachments across the world strengthening foreign relations through projects such as repairing ports or building schools. This provides strong relationships that, if needed, can be relied on during a time of war. 

The Seabees should be used to explore solutions to rising sea levels and to secure foreign assets around the world. Seabees already train and operate as both a humanitarian and expeditionary force for the Navy, and they should be the tip of the spear to combat climate change. Thus, if the Navy were to provide the instruction and direction to the CEC to tackle rising sea levels, the Seabees could be used to secure international facilities.

Climate change should be considered a genuine threat to the United States and greater focus must be applied to it. The Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps provides the expertise and leadership to combat such an enemy. Rising sea levels threaten national defense and readiness and will eventually cause a large-scale humanitarian disaster. The United States has both an economic and security motive to provide the CEC and NavFac funds to tackle the problem. Moreover, the United States has a greater responsibility to lead the world and provide guidance and assistance against this growing problem. A new initiative should be implemented to allow CEC officers, the Seabees, and NavFac to combat sea level rise domestically and internationally. CEC officers should have the opportunity to put that can-do attitude to the test and ensure the future readiness of the Navy and Marine Corps team.