Armed Forces: Climate Change

(asked on 25th October 2021) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 14 of his Department’s Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach published on 30 March 2021, what steps he has taken to improve medial planning to ensure that defence adapts its understanding of the different psychological, disease and injury risks resulting from climate change.


Answered by
James Heappey Portrait
James Heappey
This question was answered on 1st November 2021

Climate change presents a number of risks. Severe weather events, for example, could threaten the health of Service personnel on operations and cause widespread destruction and humanitarian crises. Heat injury among Service personnel has been a Defence Medical Services (DMS) research and policy focus for some time and will continue to be so.

Increasing DMS involvement in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations will require clinical skills different to those in warfighting. DMS training is continually being enhanced to address these changing requirements.

Senior DMS clinicians and academics offer advice throughout the planning and delivery phases of military operations and exercises, to ensure that medical planning can adapt. The Joint Medical Operational Planners course is mandatory training for medical planners. It is constantly reviewed to ensure current understanding of the environments to which personnel deploy.

A Military Global Health Engagement course is also provided to DMS personnel. We collaborate with partner nations to ensure a broad awareness of emerging global health issues.

Reticulating Splines