Climate Security and Armed Forces in Focus at Munich Security Conference 2025

The NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE) convened a high-level session titled “Conversation on Armed Forces in Times of Climate Change” during the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2025. Organized in collaboration with the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the event gathered key figures from the military, scientific, and policy communities to examine how climate change is reshaping security and defence priorities.

Held at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof’s Dachgarten Lounge, the session addressed the implications of a warming planet on the operational environment of Allied armed forces. Discussions focused on strategic adaptation, military preparedness, and the need to integrate climate risk into defence planning.

The panel featured the following speakers:

• General Eirik Kristoffersen, Chief of Defence of Norway
• Dr. Barbora Šedová, FutureLab Leader at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
• General (ret.) Tom Middendorp, Chair of the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) and former Chief of Defence of the Netherlands
• Erin Sikorsky, Director of the Center for Climate & Security (CCS), Washington D.C.

The discussion was moderated by Mathieu Bussières, Director of CCASCOE, which was recently accredited as NATO’s dedicated Centre of Excellence on climate security and is headquartered in Montréal, Canada.

Speakers underscored that climate change is no longer a future threat but a present-day operational challenge. As extreme weather events and environmental shifts grow more frequent and severe, militaries must anticipate and adapt to maintain mission readiness, protect infrastructure, and support broader security objectives.

The session highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to align climate science with defence strategy and encouraged continued engagement between NATO, its partners, and the scientific community.