Military leaders look for ways to conquer heat while training troops

Here at Fort Moore. Leaders say heat is one of the biggest challenges cadets face when training on the installation. At one of the largest military installations in the country, hundreds of cadets trained to fight potential enemies while fighting an enemy. We can't see the climate in general is just takes *** large toll on the trainees and their operational readiness. The defense centers for public health reports each year, more than 1500 soldiers develop heat illness. Hundreds of them here at Fort Moore, we're not going to be able to eliminate the best thing we can do is prevent that. Prevention takes many forms in the field, but it begins in the classroom. Monday morning from school. Doctor David Degroote has run the Army's heat center here on bay since it started in 2019 following *** spike in heat related injuries. Since then. Degroote says heat exhaustion cases have doubled. We're real comfortable with those numbers going up whereas heat stroke numbers have been reduced by 70%. Heat stroke is what can kill someone when not properly treated. De Group runs *** class each month giving drill sergeants best practices like changing training schedules. During excessively hot days. But when every day is hot, that option has been taken away and it could get worse. The union of concerned scientists warns if the planet warms at the same rate, it has been by 2050. On average, us military bases will face an extra month of dangerously hot days. Putting soldiers at bases like for Moore under greater threat. Do you believe your work has saved lives? I think so. But I think the point is worth emphasizing that it's *** team effort ready set begins. The heat center provides recommendations. Commanders conduct training, keep them up until you get drill sergeants conduct training. We give them the tools to do so smartly tools that drill sergeants like Sarah S Carga say will help them defeat one of the biggest threats they face. We are obviously going to cater to whatever is being provided to us by the environment, right? Something that's out of our control ourselves individually and our training. So we're just going to adapt as we have to. The Department of Defense is committing billions of dollars to preventing climate related risks. Some of that money going to preventing climate related illnesses and creating climate resilient infrastructure at Fort Moore. I'm Christopher.

July's record-breaking temperatures are fueling concerns of a spike in heat-related illnesses across the armed services.The Union of Concerned Scientists warns if the planet warms at the current rate, U.S. military bases will average an additional month of dangerously hot days by 2050. The Defense Centers for Public Health said more than 1,500 soldiers develop heat illness each year. Hundreds of those happen at Fort Moore in Georgia, where the Maneuver Center of Excellence oversees the Army's Heat Center.The center, established in 2019, identifies risks and creates guidelines to reduce heat-related injuries. Center Director Lt. Col. David DeGroot says heat exhaustion cases have doubled, but the number of heat stroke cases has reduced by 70%. "Heat stroke is what can kill someone when not properly treated," DeGroot said.DeGroot leads monthly drill sergeant trainings, educating leadership on best practices for training in excessive heat. Practices suggested include changing training schedules on brutally hot days, sharing ways to prevent heat illness and treating it when it happens.DeGroot believes his work is making a big change, saying, "It's a team effort. The heat center provides recommendations, commanders conduct training, drill sergeants conduct training. We give them the tools to do so smartly."The Pentagon's not only focusing on heat but all climate threats, dedicating billions of dollars to mitigate risks. The world's largest naval installation, Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia, is one of 53 installations that face recurrent flooding. Billions of dollars worth of damage has been reported at the base. The department says another 60 bases face the same threat if sea levels continue to rise. In the Arctic, the department says thawing permafrost is destroying runways and other infrastructure at military bases. Meanwhile, another 52 installations remain vulnerable to the impacts of drought and wildfires. Producer Charlee Caudill and photojournalist Phil Dupont contributed to this report.

FORT MOORE, Ga. —

July's record-breaking temperatures are fueling concerns of a spike in heat-related illnesses across the armed services.

The Union of Concerned Scientists warns if the planet warms at the current rate, U.S. military bases will average an additional month of dangerously hot days by 2050.

The Defense Centers for Public Health said more than 1,500 soldiers develop heat illness each year. Hundreds of those happen at Fort Moore in Georgia, where the Maneuver Center of Excellence oversees the Army's Heat Center.

The center, established in 2019, identifies risks and creates guidelines to reduce heat-related injuries. Center Director Lt. Col. David DeGroot says heat exhaustion cases have doubled, but the number of heat stroke cases has reduced by 70%.

"Heat stroke is what can kill someone when not properly treated," DeGroot said.

DeGroot leads monthly drill sergeant trainings, educating leadership on best practices for training in excessive heat. Practices suggested include changing training schedules on brutally hot days, sharing ways to prevent heat illness and treating it when it happens.

DeGroot believes his work is making a big change, saying, "It's a team effort. The heat center provides recommendations, commanders conduct training, drill sergeants conduct training. We give them the tools to do so smartly."

The Pentagon's not only focusing on heat but all climate threats, dedicating billions of dollars to mitigate risks. The world's largest naval installation, Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia, is one of 53 installations that face recurrent flooding. Billions of dollars worth of damage has been reported at the base. The department says another 60 bases face the same threat if sea levels continue to rise.

In the Arctic, the department says thawing permafrost is destroying runways and other infrastructure at military bases. Meanwhile, another 52 installations remain vulnerable to the impacts of drought and wildfires.

Producer Charlee Caudill and photojournalist Phil Dupont contributed to this report.

Military leaders look for ways to conquer heat while training troops

GET NATIONAL BREAKING NEWS ALERTS

Top Picks