Extreme Heat Disrupts NATO Military Operations and Bases

Extreme Heat Disrupts NATO Military Operations and Bases

Extreme Heat Exposes New Risks to NATO Operations and Military Aviation U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Mort , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons 03:58 14-07-2026 Extreme heat is disrupting NATO operations, damaging airfield infrastructure and reducing aircraft performance, forcing NATO to rethink defense planning. Extreme heat has begun disrupting NATO operations, Erin Sikorsky, director of the Center for Climate and Security, said in an interview with Foreign Policy . According to Sikorsky, British service members are advised to suspend physical training when dangerously high temperatures are forecast. She noted that heat is also placing growing pressure on military infrastructure. In 2022, the Royal Air Force had to divert aircraft after the asphalt runway surface at Brize Norton air base softened. High temperatures are creating additional problems for military aviation. Hot, less dense air reduces payload capacity and increases the distance needed for takeoff, a particularly serious issue for helicopters. Sikorsky said French military planners had concluded that once temperatures exceed 45 degrees Celsius, a standard mission may require two helicopters instead of one. She argued that NATO should revise resilience standards for military infrastructure and begin including adaptation to extreme weather in defense budgets. As examples, Sikorsky pointed to Sweden and Finland, where reserve systems and food stockpiles have been established for critical situations. Foreign Policy noted that the Center for Climate and Security was founded in Washington in 2010. The organization studies how climate risks affect security and develops recommendations for reducing the threats associated with them.