1 00:00:00, --> 00:00:07,157 [light music] 2 00:00:07,157 --> 00:00:10,591 Hello, I'm Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. 3 00:00:11,222 --> 00:00:15,000 Today, the Department of Defense faces a growing climate crisis 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,500 that impacts U.S. national security. 5 00:00:17,500 --> 00:00:22,000 Abroad, from the Arctic to the South China Sea, climate change is 6 00:00:22,500 --> 00:00:26,000 generating new missions and affecting our operational environment. 7 00:00:26,500 --> 00:00:30,000 At home, from climate driven wildfires in California 8 00:00:30,500 --> 00:00:34,000 to more aggressive and frequent hurricanes off the east coast, 9 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:39,000 extreme weather is damaging our installations and eroding mission readiness. 10 00:00:39,500 --> 00:00:42,000 Increased incidents of extreme weather and natural disasters, 11 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:53,000 and saw firsthand the devastating effects of climate change 12 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,000 on our training facilities. 13 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,000 I also spoke with commanders at neighboring bases 14 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:02,000 about the challenges that climate change poses to their installations 15 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,000 and their ability to carry out critical missions. 16 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:23,000 And Naval Station Mayport and Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay 17 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,000 have had millions of dollars in damage to 18 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:29,000 their installations because of Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Irma. 19 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:50,000 To focus and prioritize our efforts, 20 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:53,000 the secretary established a climate working group. 21 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:57,000 It will ensure we incorporate the security implications of 22 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:07,000 And I am personally working to ensure we have a range 23 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,000 of options to expand our investments in the sustainability 24 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,000 and resilience of our military installations, 25 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:17,000 as well as the efficiency of our operational assets. 26 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,000 Meeting the climate threat to our readiness will require 27 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,000 decisive and collective action, 28 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,000 and I firmly believe we can meet this challenge head on. 29 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,000 We must, and we are.