June 21, 2018
By Lauren Hamer
Rising seas (click here) don’t just put your city in jeopardy, they also threaten the nation’s security. A report by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) found many of America’s most influential military bases are at risk should the ocean water rise even a few feet higher. Submarines, research centers, entire fleets of aircraft and rescue equipment — they’re all exposed to harmful flooding. Ranked by potential danger, here are 16 major national defense centers that could go underwater soon than you think.
Though Florida is home to 21 military installations, a handful of these bases are close to the coast and listed as vulnerable to the impact of rising seas. Eglin Air Force Base spans 464,000 acres across three counties in the Florida Panhandle. It supports and conducts research on weapons systems, representing every branch of the military. The installation is also home to a Special Forces Group assigned to protect more than 30 countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
By 2070, this flooding could affect nearly all of the barrier island facilities within the base. In this scenario, much of the grounds would be deemed a tidal zone rather than useable land....
By Meghann Myers
Rising oceans will swallow parts (click here) of the world's biggest naval base by the end of the century, according to experts who warn that it will take billions of dollars in upgrades to prepare these facilities.
Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia and 17 other U.S. military installations sitting on waterfront property are looking at hundreds of floods a year and in some cases could be mostly submerged by 2100, according to a new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Based on these calculations, the report says a three-foot sea level rise would threaten 128 U.S. military bases, valued at roughly $100 billion.
Nine of those bases are major hubs for the Navy: In addition to Norfolk, flooding threatens Naval Station Mayport, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia and the Naval Academy in Maryland, where 2003's Hurricane Isabel flooded classrooms, dormitories and athletic facilities.
It's not just the Navy. Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island is at risk of being completely underwater. All told, three Marine Corps installations, two joint bases, an Air Force base and a Coast Guard Station are also at risk of daily flooding, the report said....
