Navies, climate change, and procurement uncertainty

How will navies adapt to climate-change challenges?

They are planning for sea-level change, water and food insecurity, and conflict driven by real or perceived scarcity, but must hedge because future operational demands cannot be known with certainty.

Navies expect changing sea levels, water scarcity in some regions, flooding in others, and disputes driven by land and food pressure. Conflict can arise from the perception of scarcity even where resources exist, complicating prediction. The comparison with 1939 procurement is instructive: decision-makers could not yet assume carriers would displace battleships, so prudent planning retained both while evidence accumulated.