Rubio Attempts to Aid Military Against Environmental Threats to Bases

US military installations are reportedly facing increased environmental challenges as a result of more intense climate events.

Among such threats are sea level rise, extreme storms, droughts, and arctic ice melts.

According to Military Resilience, Department of Defense installations (DOD) are worth over $1.2 trillion.

Increased environmental disruption could damage such installations absent adequate preventative measures.

Various military installations in Florida have already suffered noticeable damages from shoreline erosion and storm surge.

US Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has responded to these threats by authoring the Military Installation Shoreline Protection Act.

The act broadens the military’s ability to access funds for repairs deriving from shoreline erosion by streamlining regulations impeding the military’s speedy access to funds.

Senator Rubio explained via press release the lack of repair funds could frustrate military missions as attention is diverged to obtaining the needed funds.

“Our military needs to be mission-ready at all times,” said Rubio. “Along the coast, many of our military installations are dealing with damage that can’t wait for years of red tape in order to be fixed.”

Other coastline military installations beside those in Florida are projected to suffer from shoreline erosion in the coming years.

The largest US Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, for example, could allegedly face, at best 2, and, at worst, 11 feet in sea level rise.

According to NOAA’s calculations, any rise exceeding 5 feet would completely submerge portions of the base.

If Rubio’s bill is enacted, DOD would have immediate access to environmental damage repair funds to anticipate such doomsday scenarios.