DoD only recently began tracking the cost of extreme weather, despite billions in damage

A C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 145th Airlift Wing sits on the flightline during Winter Storm Gianna at the Charlotte Air National Guard Base, Charlotte, N.C., Jan. 31, 2026. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Dustin Shepard)

By Anastasia Obis • Mar 03, 2026

Natural disasters at military installations have caused billions of dollars in damage over the past decade, but the Defense Department began tracking those costs just recently.

The Defense Department estimates that hurricanes, floods, wildfires, storms, and other extreme weather events have cost the department at least $15 billion in damages to military installations over the past decade. But the effort to collect data to better understand economic consequences of these events only began in 2024, and the data remains incomplete and at times inaccurate.

In fiscal 2025, the office of the assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations, and environment directed military installations to complete a spreadsheet reporting the effects of extreme weather. Specifically, it requested information on impacts to both built and natural infrastructure at installations and associated costs, as well as intangible effects on training or mission readiness, such as health impacts.