US Military Gets 'Shopping List' of Assets to Intervene in Global Disasters

A Department of Defense report on global climate change says the US armed forces will need an inventory of specialized equipment to project power and provide relief in environmental disasters caused by global warming.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US armed forces will need an inventory of specialized equipment to project power and provide relief in environmental disasters caused by global warming, a Department of Defense report on global climate change said.

“Common requirements include strategic lift assets, water and water purification capability, vertical lift assets for dispersal of relief supplies [and] engineering equipment for removing debris from critical infrastructure,” the report, released on Wednesday, said.

The report spells out the precise kinds of equipment the US military will need to project power and also provide relief for natural disasters.

It defines in detail the acquisition of specialized equipment to deal with such challenges that effectively makes them a strategic line item in the Defense Department budget.

The US armed forces will also need to assure in advance resources to provide medical care, robust communications and repair of electricity generation, as well as search and rescue, port opening and traffic control capabilities, the report added.

The study named “Report on National Security Implications of Climate-Related Risks and a Changing Climate” was ordered by the US Senate Committee on Appropriations to accompany the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015.