Sec. 401. Establishment of Climate Security Intelligence Center
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Congress finds the following: The evidence for human-induced climate change is clear and undeniable. According to the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, climate change will fuel competition for resources and cause economic distress and social discontent through 2019 and beyond. In 2016, the National Intelligence Council found that climate change and its resulting effects are likely to pose wide-ranging national security challenges for the United States and other countries over the next 20 years. .
The impacts of climate change— threaten the national security infrastructure of the United States both domestically and abroad; negatively impact the readiness and operations of the Armed Forces; and contribute to the conditions that lead to subnational, national, regional, and global instability. The intelligence community has previously analyzed, studied, and engaged in public-private partnerships to improve understanding about the effects of climate change on national security, however, such efforts were undertaken in a sporadic manner because of inconsistent commitments to improving understanding of those effects.
The United States needs to be fully prepared to respond to the threats to, and harmful impacts on, national security from climate change, but is not fully prepared at the present time. Title I of the National Security Act of 1947 ( 50 U.S.C. 3021 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: There is within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence a Climate Security Intelligence Center. There is a Director of the Climate Security Intelligence Center, who shall be the head of the Climate Security Intelligence Center, and who shall be appointed by the Director of National Intelligence.
The duties of the Climate Security Intelligence Center shall be as follows: To serve as the primary organization within the intelligence community for— analyzing climate security; assessing the global influence and leadership of the United States with respect to climate policies of other countries, international organizations, and transnational groups; and identifying and disseminating information regarding climate intelligence indications and warnings. To assess and determine best practices with respect to the analysis of climate security, including identifying publicly available information and intelligence acquired through clandestine means that enable such analysis.
To assess and identify best practices with respect to prior efforts of the intelligence community to analyze climate security, including— the Measurements of Earth Data for Environmental Analysis program of the Central Intelligence Agency; the Center on Climate Change and National Security of the Central Intelligence Agency; and climate security-related activities of the Director of National Intelligence. To use the best practices identified under paragraphs
(2)and
(3)to inform the work of the Climate Security Intelligence Center. To consult, as appropriate, with other elements of the intelligence community and elements of the Federal Government that are not elements of the intelligence community to avoid duplication of existing efforts. To perform such other duties as the Director of National Intelligence shall specify. The Director of National Intelligence shall include in the National Intelligence Program budget a separate line item for the Climate Security Intelligence Center. Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, and biennially thereafter, the Director of the Climate Security Intelligence Center shall submit to the Director of National Intelligence and the congressional intelligence committees a report on the activities conducted by the Center for the period covered by the report. In this section: The term climate security means the effects of climate change on the following: The national security of the United States, including national security infrastructure. Subnational, national, and regional political stability. The security of allies and partners of the United States. Ongoing or potential political violence, including unrest, rioting, guerrilla warfare, insurgency, terrorism, rebellion, revolution, civil war, and interstate war. The term climate intelligence indications and warnings means developments relating to climate security with the potential to— imminently and substantially alter the political stability or degree of human security in a country or region; or imminently and substantially threaten— the national security of the United States; the military, political, or economic interests of allies and partners of the United States; or citizens of the United States abroad. The term critical infrastructure has the meaning given that term in subsection
(e)of the Critical Infrastructures Protection Act of 2001 ( 42 U.S.C. 5195c(e) ). The term national security infrastructure means the following: Military installations and other facilities of the Department of Defense. Facilities of the intelligence community. Non-Department of Defense or intelligence community facilities that contribute to or otherwise support operations of the Department of Defense or the intelligence community. Critical infrastructure. . Section 103(c) of the National Security Act of 1947 ( 50 U.S.C. 3025(c) ) is amended— by redesignating paragraph
(14)as paragraph (15); and by inserting after paragraph
(13)the following new paragraph: The Climate Security Intelligence Center. . The table of contents in the first section of the National Security Act of 1947 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 119B the following new item: Sec. 119C. Climate Security Intelligence Center. . The amendments made by this section shall take effect 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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