Climate change is major threat to readiness, expert says: Soldiers can expect a range of new and more complex risks with the progression of climate change — and not just getting too hot, an Army scientist said at a forum on health readiness.
Soldiers face heat-related injuries, but much more than that, Army science adviser Dr. Steven Cersovsky told a panel on Tuesday. Climate change presents a major, multi-pronged threat to the military, ranging from increased disease to global instability that could push soldiers into a fight, he said.
Cersovksy is science advisor for the Army Public Health Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. He spoke at a "Hot Topics" forum on health readiness in Arlington, Virginia, presented by the Association of the U.S. Army. He described a variety of issues raised by climate change in a panel on "Enabling Health Readiness in a Complex World."
"We must understand what is coming and how these changes will affect our Army," Cersovsky said, according to an Army release. "And we must begin adapting now."
He said among the most obvious problems are heat-related injuries, already "unacceptably high in our formations."
