1 00:00:02,380 --> 00:00:05,599 The threat is real . It absolutely is a 2 00:00:05,610 --> 00:00:08,159 national security issue and no military 3 00:00:08,170 --> 00:00:10,779 installation is safe . We are at an 4 00:00:10,789 --> 00:00:13,460 extraordinary time in our nation's 5 00:00:13,470 --> 00:00:15,303 history . We're seeing increased 6 00:00:15,303 --> 00:00:17,303 extreme temperatures . We're seeing 7 00:00:17,303 --> 00:00:19,303 changes in precipitation patterns . 8 00:00:19,303 --> 00:00:21,979 We're seeing more severe weather events 9 00:00:21,989 --> 00:00:24,156 if the United States is to continue to 10 00:00:24,156 --> 00:00:26,290 compete with and surpass near peer . 11 00:00:26,299 --> 00:00:28,132 Adversaries in both physical and 12 00:00:28,132 --> 00:00:30,549 virtual domains , learning to adapt to 13 00:00:30,559 --> 00:00:32,781 the environment at a more advanced pace 14 00:00:32,781 --> 00:00:35,330 is critical . Look no further than 15 00:00:35,439 --> 00:00:38,459 Napoleon , what stopped him on the way 16 00:00:38,470 --> 00:00:40,360 to Moscow . It was the weather . 17 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,639 Our installations are combat 18 00:00:49,770 --> 00:00:52,889 projection platforms . Every Air Force 19 00:00:52,900 --> 00:00:56,090 mission originates and terminates at a 20 00:00:56,450 --> 00:00:59,209 installation from the devastation at 21 00:00:59,220 --> 00:01:01,387 Tyndall Air Force Base due to flooding 22 00:01:01,387 --> 00:01:03,279 and a category five hurricane to 23 00:01:03,290 --> 00:01:05,720 wildfires near Beale Air Force Base . 24 00:01:05,730 --> 00:01:08,400 Every installation is at risk and 25 00:01:08,410 --> 00:01:10,800 engineers are seeing the value in 26 00:01:10,809 --> 00:01:12,920 planning for extreme weather while at 27 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:15,142 the same time , increasing capabilities 28 00:01:15,142 --> 00:01:17,365 and reducing reliance on fossil fuels . 29 00:01:17,365 --> 00:01:19,531 Well , in the climate action plan , it 30 00:01:19,531 --> 00:01:21,587 identifies , you know , the negative 31 00:01:21,587 --> 00:01:23,531 impacts that the climate change is 32 00:01:23,531 --> 00:01:25,865 having on our facilities . And you know , 33 00:01:25,865 --> 00:01:27,698 the Air Force is , is one of the 34 00:01:27,698 --> 00:01:29,920 primary users in the Federal government 35 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,269 of fossil fuels and by reducing our use 36 00:01:32,279 --> 00:01:34,390 of fossil fuels and our impact on the 37 00:01:34,390 --> 00:01:36,501 environment . We can help to minimize 38 00:01:36,501 --> 00:01:38,668 those impacts going forward . And it's 39 00:01:38,668 --> 00:01:40,335 really a , you know , mission 40 00:01:40,335 --> 00:01:43,489 imperative . The Air Force is 41 00:01:43,500 --> 00:01:45,444 addressing inclement , weather and 42 00:01:45,444 --> 00:01:47,779 natural disasters head on outlining 43 00:01:47,790 --> 00:01:49,901 what moving forward looks like in the 44 00:01:49,901 --> 00:01:52,209 climate action plan . A framework 45 00:01:52,220 --> 00:01:54,276 released by the Secretary of the Air 46 00:01:54,276 --> 00:01:56,164 Force which focuses on addressing 47 00:01:56,164 --> 00:01:58,053 climate change through three main 48 00:01:58,053 --> 00:01:59,942 objectives , reducing emissions , 49 00:01:59,949 --> 00:02:02,239 increasing capabilities and reducing 50 00:02:02,250 --> 00:02:05,000 reliance on fossil fuels . The climate 51 00:02:05,010 --> 00:02:08,619 action plan is designed to ensure that 52 00:02:08,630 --> 00:02:11,699 we can maintain air and space dominance 53 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:13,936 in the face of the pacing challenges 54 00:02:13,936 --> 00:02:16,102 and the threats we face . But how will 55 00:02:16,102 --> 00:02:18,360 the climate action plan do this and why 56 00:02:18,369 --> 00:02:20,470 the urgency I can tell you with 57 00:02:20,479 --> 00:02:24,009 veracity my first day on the job a year 58 00:02:24,020 --> 00:02:26,039 and a half ago , the in tango fire 59 00:02:26,050 --> 00:02:28,217 occurred on the day that I reported in 60 00:02:28,830 --> 00:02:32,440 with that , it came extremely 61 00:02:32,449 --> 00:02:35,059 clear to me and you know , in very 62 00:02:35,070 --> 00:02:38,250 stark terms that we needed to make sure 63 00:02:38,259 --> 00:02:40,481 that we were doing everything we can to 64 00:02:40,481 --> 00:02:43,389 mitigate things like fuels , to reduce 65 00:02:43,399 --> 00:02:46,449 the dry grass that is in the in the 66 00:02:46,460 --> 00:02:50,029 local area to understand that the 67 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:53,729 the infrastructure for energy that we 68 00:02:53,740 --> 00:02:56,830 had needed to have upgrades and needed 69 00:02:56,839 --> 00:03:00,020 to ensure that we would be able to have 70 00:03:00,029 --> 00:03:02,899 uninterrupted power coming to the base 71 00:03:02,910 --> 00:03:04,521 in the event of that kind of 72 00:03:04,521 --> 00:03:07,279 climatological threat by embracing new 73 00:03:07,289 --> 00:03:09,169 technologies and fundamentally 74 00:03:09,179 --> 00:03:10,960 rethinking everything from 75 00:03:10,970 --> 00:03:12,929 infrastructure to workflow . The 76 00:03:12,940 --> 00:03:15,149 climate action plan leaves nothing off 77 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:17,382 the table . For instance , when Tyndall 78 00:03:17,382 --> 00:03:19,271 Air Force Base was decimated by a 79 00:03:19,271 --> 00:03:21,740 category five hurricane engineers had 80 00:03:21,750 --> 00:03:23,694 their work cut out for them play . 81 00:03:23,694 --> 00:03:26,059 We've looked at climate models to 82 00:03:26,070 --> 00:03:28,789 anticipate what would , what would 83 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:31,520 future storms do and how would we 84 00:03:31,529 --> 00:03:34,039 incorporate those future storms and sea 85 00:03:34,050 --> 00:03:36,217 level rise into the designers , timber 86 00:03:36,217 --> 00:03:38,383 land force space . So one thing we did 87 00:03:38,383 --> 00:03:41,699 was we designed um the the minimum 88 00:03:41,710 --> 00:03:45,330 floor levels to be between 14 and 19 ft 89 00:03:45,339 --> 00:03:47,339 above mean sea level to account for 90 00:03:47,339 --> 00:03:50,009 those increased sea levels . We've also 91 00:03:50,020 --> 00:03:53,470 incorporated Miami Dade code to 92 00:03:53,529 --> 00:03:55,696 ensure that the facility can withstand 93 00:03:55,696 --> 00:03:58,259 100 65 mile per hour , wind speeds 94 00:03:58,490 --> 00:04:00,712 beyond infrastructure . Other important 95 00:04:00,712 --> 00:04:02,934 factors are considered like how the air 96 00:04:02,934 --> 00:04:04,990 force conducts business . Well , our 97 00:04:04,990 --> 00:04:07,320 Deputy Secretary of Defense has um uh 98 00:04:07,330 --> 00:04:10,130 has asked us to look at fuel demand and 99 00:04:10,139 --> 00:04:12,195 make sure we make demand reduction a 100 00:04:12,195 --> 00:04:14,867 priority . The air Force is the fuel 101 00:04:14,876 --> 00:04:17,043 user in the federal government , which 102 00:04:17,043 --> 00:04:18,709 is one of the reasons why the 103 00:04:18,709 --> 00:04:20,876 department is prioritizing alternative 104 00:04:20,876 --> 00:04:23,846 sources of fuel micro grids , um 105 00:04:23,856 --> 00:04:26,189 photovoltaics , you know , solar arrays , 106 00:04:26,189 --> 00:04:28,486 things like that backup power areas so 107 00:04:28,497 --> 00:04:30,726 that if if we lose our primary source 108 00:04:30,736 --> 00:04:32,997 of power , that the the mission can 109 00:04:33,006 --> 00:04:35,062 continue because they've got another 110 00:04:35,062 --> 00:04:36,673 source of power available on 111 00:04:36,673 --> 00:04:38,506 installation . Several promising 112 00:04:38,506 --> 00:04:40,562 alternative fuel source technologies 113 00:04:40,562 --> 00:04:42,673 have the attention of the Air Force . 114 00:04:42,673 --> 00:04:44,728 Well , we're taking a look at a game 115 00:04:44,728 --> 00:04:46,617 changing technology , small micro 116 00:04:46,617 --> 00:04:49,664 reactors that improve efficiency of the 117 00:04:49,674 --> 00:04:51,785 base , offering a redundant source of 118 00:04:51,785 --> 00:04:53,896 power in the event of an outage . The 119 00:04:53,896 --> 00:04:55,854 air force is also concentrating on 120 00:04:55,864 --> 00:04:57,954 solar power . One air force base in 121 00:04:57,963 --> 00:05:00,384 particular offers strategic advantages 122 00:05:00,394 --> 00:05:02,273 that make solar power especially 123 00:05:02,283 --> 00:05:04,781 inviting the one thing . Edwards has 124 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:07,490 significant amount of , of open 125 00:05:07,501 --> 00:05:09,723 property and something to the effect of 126 00:05:09,723 --> 00:05:12,311 95% illumination throughout the entire 127 00:05:12,321 --> 00:05:14,631 year . Very few clouds . Once you have 128 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:17,321 alternative energy sources and you're 129 00:05:17,330 --> 00:05:19,497 employing them at your installations , 130 00:05:19,497 --> 00:05:21,497 it adds another layer of redundancy 131 00:05:21,497 --> 00:05:24,191 that allows you to prevent the impacts 132 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:27,411 of climate change from reducing your 133 00:05:27,420 --> 00:05:30,220 emission capable rates , dry hot 134 00:05:30,230 --> 00:05:32,859 conditions with fields of overgrowth , 135 00:05:32,869 --> 00:05:35,619 make wildfires a real danger on some 136 00:05:35,630 --> 00:05:38,019 military installations . They can take 137 00:05:38,029 --> 00:05:40,459 down flight line operations and destroy 138 00:05:40,470 --> 00:05:43,290 assets but some air force bases have a 139 00:05:43,299 --> 00:05:45,450 low tech solution that is highly 140 00:05:45,459 --> 00:05:48,480 effective . We actually lease space on 141 00:05:48,489 --> 00:05:50,640 the installation so that we can bring 142 00:05:50,649 --> 00:05:53,170 the famous beale cattle , the beale 143 00:05:53,339 --> 00:05:56,940 cows to our installation 144 00:05:56,950 --> 00:05:59,179 especially in times like this where we 145 00:05:59,190 --> 00:06:02,130 have a robust and healthy set of 146 00:06:02,140 --> 00:06:04,809 grasslands for those cattle to be able 147 00:06:04,820 --> 00:06:07,829 to graze another climate action plan 148 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:09,506 initiative . The Air Force is 149 00:06:09,506 --> 00:06:11,672 addressing is how vulnerable bases are 150 00:06:11,672 --> 00:06:14,690 to grid power outages . Beale Air Force 151 00:06:14,700 --> 00:06:16,922 Base was one of the first to simulate a 152 00:06:16,922 --> 00:06:19,089 power grid failure while maintaining 153 00:06:19,100 --> 00:06:22,299 daily operations . On 2 November 154 00:06:22,309 --> 00:06:25,489 2022 we executed an energy resilience 155 00:06:25,500 --> 00:06:27,769 readiness exercise on Beale Air Force 156 00:06:27,779 --> 00:06:30,480 Base . And we actually did two things 157 00:06:30,489 --> 00:06:32,790 simultaneously . One , we did some real 158 00:06:32,799 --> 00:06:35,021 world work on our high voltage system . 159 00:06:35,549 --> 00:06:37,920 And two , we shut off deliberately the 160 00:06:37,929 --> 00:06:40,609 power on the installation to test our 161 00:06:40,619 --> 00:06:43,220 ability to operate with limited power 162 00:06:43,230 --> 00:06:45,549 capability issues like backup , 163 00:06:45,559 --> 00:06:47,910 telecommunications functionalities and 164 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:50,309 time limitations on diesel backup power 165 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:52,609 generation came to the attention of 166 00:06:52,619 --> 00:06:54,952 base leaders so they could be addressed . 167 00:06:54,952 --> 00:06:57,549 These are great learning opportunities 168 00:06:57,559 --> 00:07:00,799 to determine whether or not you can 169 00:07:00,809 --> 00:07:03,609 operate in a limited power scenario . 170 00:07:04,130 --> 00:07:06,390 Other installations are also working on 171 00:07:06,399 --> 00:07:08,566 ways to become more efficient . So the 172 00:07:08,566 --> 00:07:11,510 meep program is the mission execution 173 00:07:11,519 --> 00:07:14,200 Excellence program and it's aimed at 174 00:07:14,209 --> 00:07:16,959 looking at our operational efficiency . 175 00:07:17,109 --> 00:07:19,480 The meep program at Travis Air Force 176 00:07:19,489 --> 00:07:22,220 Base incentivizes ideas on ways to 177 00:07:22,230 --> 00:07:24,630 improve workflow , everything from 178 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:26,584 flight line operations to reducing 179 00:07:26,584 --> 00:07:29,600 paperwork . It is trying to find those 180 00:07:29,609 --> 00:07:32,299 innovative ideas that help people save 181 00:07:32,309 --> 00:07:35,350 time which ends up saving fuel in the 182 00:07:35,359 --> 00:07:37,581 long run . And one of the best parts of 183 00:07:37,581 --> 00:07:39,415 the mission execution excellence 184 00:07:39,415 --> 00:07:41,470 program is that the monetary savings 185 00:07:41,470 --> 00:07:43,630 are reinvested back into the unit 186 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:46,350 responsible for the improvement idea as 187 00:07:46,359 --> 00:07:49,660 you are having these energy efficient 188 00:07:50,100 --> 00:07:53,500 minded processes be improved . We are 189 00:07:53,510 --> 00:07:57,179 receiving a few x number of 190 00:07:57,190 --> 00:07:59,357 dollars per pound that we are saving . 191 00:07:59,500 --> 00:08:02,369 So um that money does come back to the 192 00:08:02,380 --> 00:08:05,149 wing to then grow more efficient 193 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:07,739 programs . Another way Travis Air Force 194 00:08:07,750 --> 00:08:09,750 Base is meeting climate action plan 195 00:08:09,750 --> 00:08:11,472 objectives is through software 196 00:08:11,570 --> 00:08:13,709 specifically , a program called puck 197 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:16,359 board which digitizes flight operations 198 00:08:16,369 --> 00:08:18,940 that in the past relied on a huge 199 00:08:18,950 --> 00:08:21,559 physical board using software to 200 00:08:21,570 --> 00:08:24,140 optimize flight line operations . Teams 201 00:08:24,149 --> 00:08:26,049 are able to deconflict training 202 00:08:26,059 --> 00:08:28,760 requirements and personnel availability , 203 00:08:28,929 --> 00:08:31,260 reducing downtime and unnecessary 204 00:08:31,269 --> 00:08:34,080 delays that can waste resources . It 205 00:08:34,090 --> 00:08:36,090 used to be a giant white board with 206 00:08:36,090 --> 00:08:38,146 actual physical pucks that you could 207 00:08:38,146 --> 00:08:41,689 allocate um people to a specific 208 00:08:41,698 --> 00:08:44,888 aircraft to a specific mission so that 209 00:08:44,898 --> 00:08:47,120 you can properly account for everyone's 210 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:49,268 ground training , everyone's doctor's 211 00:08:49,278 --> 00:08:51,334 appointments , dental appointments , 212 00:08:51,929 --> 00:08:54,049 reducing emissions and reliance on 213 00:08:54,059 --> 00:08:56,320 fossil fuels is a huge part of the 214 00:08:56,330 --> 00:08:58,580 climate action plan . One seemingly 215 00:08:58,590 --> 00:09:00,757 small idea the air force is working on 216 00:09:00,757 --> 00:09:03,390 may have a huge impact on fuel costs 217 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,020 for legacy aircraft , 3D printed micro 218 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:08,169 vs attached to the fuselage of an 219 00:09:08,169 --> 00:09:10,719 aircraft like the C 17 can reduce drag 220 00:09:10,729 --> 00:09:13,515 by one percent . So we're talking on 221 00:09:13,525 --> 00:09:15,636 the order of millions and millions of 222 00:09:15,636 --> 00:09:17,636 gallons of fuel annually saved as a 223 00:09:17,636 --> 00:09:19,858 result of this . If you click on that , 224 00:09:19,858 --> 00:09:22,155 you'll see that a video will pop up 225 00:09:22,344 --> 00:09:24,674 another technology that's having a huge 226 00:09:24,684 --> 00:09:26,294 impact air force wide while 227 00:09:26,304 --> 00:09:28,415 simultaneously meeting climate action 228 00:09:28,415 --> 00:09:30,715 plan objectives is virtual reality . 229 00:09:31,669 --> 00:09:33,725 You can put VR on and it tells you , 230 00:09:33,725 --> 00:09:35,780 hey , do this . If you do not , this 231 00:09:35,780 --> 00:09:38,070 will happen . VR has the potential to 232 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:40,302 increase skill levels while saving fuel 233 00:09:40,302 --> 00:09:42,820 costs and reducing emissions . If 234 00:09:42,830 --> 00:09:45,052 you're not using an aircraft to train , 235 00:09:45,052 --> 00:09:47,108 you're not burning fuel , but it has 236 00:09:47,108 --> 00:09:49,219 additional benefits too as it allowed 237 00:09:49,219 --> 00:09:50,830 them to adapt their in-house 238 00:09:50,830 --> 00:09:53,380 qualification to just be an approval um 239 00:09:53,409 --> 00:09:55,599 through virtual reality , the vertical 240 00:09:55,609 --> 00:09:57,609 pilot system is another way the Air 241 00:09:57,609 --> 00:09:59,831 Force is meeting objectives . In simple 242 00:09:59,831 --> 00:10:02,179 terms , it's a rack that allows cargo 243 00:10:02,190 --> 00:10:04,919 to be stacked , increasing payload area 244 00:10:04,929 --> 00:10:06,929 and reducing the number of aircraft 245 00:10:06,929 --> 00:10:09,150 needed for transportation , reducing 246 00:10:09,159 --> 00:10:11,419 emissions and fossil fuel use . While 247 00:10:11,429 --> 00:10:13,400 increasing capabilities is part of 248 00:10:13,409 --> 00:10:16,059 being climate informed . A decision 249 00:10:16,070 --> 00:10:18,330 making process championed by leaders 250 00:10:18,340 --> 00:10:21,099 Air Force . Y it takes past and 251 00:10:21,109 --> 00:10:23,650 projected climate factors and extreme 252 00:10:23,659 --> 00:10:25,659 weather events into account to help 253 00:10:25,659 --> 00:10:27,659 with planning and possible emission 254 00:10:27,659 --> 00:10:30,039 impacts from high tech to low tech . 255 00:10:30,049 --> 00:10:32,169 The Air Force is open to any and all 256 00:10:32,179 --> 00:10:34,469 solutions that fall within the purview 257 00:10:34,479 --> 00:10:36,650 of the climate action plan . Being 258 00:10:36,659 --> 00:10:38,603 climate informed with our decision 259 00:10:38,603 --> 00:10:40,770 making is going to be crucial if we're 260 00:10:40,770 --> 00:10:42,890 going to be successful as a military 261 00:10:42,900 --> 00:10:43,609 force .