Coastal Resilience DoD Liaison Program

Weather-related hazards, including hurricanes, flooding, sea level rise, extreme temperatures, drought and wildfires are critical national security issues and threat multipliers that are already costing billions of dollars and degrading mission capabilities. Coastal defense communities, which are those that are adjacent or economically tied to military missions, share these coastal resilience challenges. Resilience efforts in these areas need to be coordinated between military installations and their communities to protect life, property and mission readiness.

The coastal resilience Department of Defense (DoD) liaison program is designed to assist defense communities in becoming more resilient to coastal hazards by sharing expertise and making connections across Sea Grant, Department of Defense and community leadership.

The liaison works with Sea Grant coastal resilience specialists and others across the network to leverage expertise in resilience planning, water resources management, community engagement, communication, nature-based infrastructure, conservation, floodplain management and education to advance the sustainability of coastal defense communities and ecosystems.

The program is a partnership between Sea Grant and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, working with the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS) and the DoD Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program. Both national and Southeast regional priorities — including those in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi — guide the program that seeks synergies with relevant coastal resilience efforts. The liaison also supports the work of SERPPAS and REPI through leadership in their coastal resilience programs.

Resources

• Report: Advancing Coastal Resilience in Mississippi Defense Communities 
• Resources and tools for coastal resilience in defense communities
• Sea Grant/SERPPAS Workshop Report: Advancing Coastal Resilience in the Southeast Defense Communities