Preparing for Hot Conflicts: Army Training and Operations in a Warming World
Publisher: Military Review
Author(s): Erik M. Patton, Christopher L. Chapman, and Gabrielle E. W. Giersch
Date: 2026
Topics: Assessment, Climate Change, Public Health
Countries: United States
Global climate change, a concept difficult to appreciate in a practical context, will affect the day-to-day training and operations for soldiers in numerous ways. Here, the authors present an overview of how extreme temperatures impacted US and allied operations over the last twenty years. Additionally, we provide an analysis of the relevance of extreme temperatures to the individual soldier and the operational Army. This analysis predicts that extreme temperatures will vary in intensity locally and heat waves will increase in frequency and intensity until midcentury and likely much longer.