OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE — The Fiscal Year 2026 U.S. federal budget request proposes deep cuts to climate and environmental programs at the Department of Defense, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), even as military installations continue to sustain billions of dollars in damage from extreme weather events. The proposal reduces NOAA funding for oceanographic studies and climate modeling by approximately 75 percent and eliminates $564 million from the USGS.
It also cuts about $600 million from Defense Department environmental programs, including funds for environmental planning at training ranges and investment in environmental risk mitigation. An additional reduction targets facility and engineering design in the Fiscal Year 2027 request. The Trump administration and Department of Defense described these reductions as cuts to so-called “woke” climate or environmental initiatives.
In 2019, historic Missouri River flooding damaged 137 facilities at Offutt Air Force Base, destroyed 1.2 million square feet of workspace, and flooded 3,000 feet of runway. Repairs cost $1.2 billion. That same year, Offutt worked with the USGS to address limitations in Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain data when implementing new flood mitigation measures.
In 2023, Super Typhoon Mawar damaged the Glass Breakwater at Apra Harbor, Guam. The Navy estimated repairs at $600 million and placed the project second on its Fiscal Year 2025 Unfunded Priorities List, justifying the request as necessary to “ensure the integrity of Apra Harbor and the Navy’s ability to sustain forces.”
According to the Government Accountability Office, extreme weather has caused approximately $15 billion in damage to military facilities over the past decade, though the agency acknowledges its figures do not capture all associated costs. The U.S. Climate Prediction Center forecasts a greater than 60% chance of El Niño conditions in the Pacific during the summer of 2026, which typically increase the risk of tropical cyclones, drought, and extreme heat across the region.