§3060 — Title 50 War and National Defense | U.S. Code

Summary

Creates a Climate Security Advisory Council that the Director of National Intelligence must set up to help intelligence analysts study how climate change affects security, to share climate data and analysis with other federal agencies, and to make sure climate change is treated as a priority in intelligence work. The council is led by an official from the National Intelligence Council and includes lead climate analysts from the CIA, the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Department of Energy’s intelligence office, the Pentagon’s intelligence office under the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, and the Defense Intelligence Agency. It also includes three officials from non‑intelligence federal agencies that do climate prediction, Earth observations, or coordinate climate research, plus any other members the Director or chair choose. The council must meet at least once every three months to share data, set up routine data-sharing methods, and write short meeting summaries. It must find and recommend best ways to analyze climate security, review past work, improve warnings and alerts, suggest training changes, avoid duplicated efforts, share findings, and look at whether intelligence can guide academic and government research. The chair must send a report to the congressional intelligence committees by January 31, 2021 and at least once a year after that, describing the council’s work and any problems or gaps. The council ends on December 31, 2024. Definitions used: “climate security” = how climate change affects U.S. national security, infrastructure, political stability, allies, and risks of violence or war; “climate intelligence indications and warnings” = signs that climate events could soon and seriously harm political stability, human safety, U.S. security, allies’ interests, or Americans abroad.

Title 50, §3060

War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Director of National Intelligence shall establish a Climate Security Advisory Council for the purpose of—

(1)assisting intelligence analysts of various elements of the intelligence community with respect to analysis of climate security and its impact on the areas of focus of such analysts;

(2)facilitating coordination between the elements of the intelligence community and elements of the Federal Government that are not elements of the intelligence community in collecting data on, and conducting analysis of, climate change and climate security; and

(3)ensuring that the intelligence community is adequately prioritizing climate change in carrying out its activities.

(b)(1)The Council shall be composed of the following individuals appointed by the Director of National Intelligence:

(A)An appropriate official from the National Intelligence Council, who shall chair the Council.

(B)The lead official with respect to climate and environmental security analysis from—

(i)the Central Intelligence Agency;

(ii)the Bureau of Intelligence and Research of the Department of State;

(iii)the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency;

(iv)the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence of the Department of Energy;

(v)the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security; and

(vi)the Defense Intelligence Agency.

(C)Three appropriate officials from elements of the Federal Government that are not elements of the intelligence community that are responsible for—

(i)providing decision makers with a predictive understanding of the climate;

(ii)making observations of our Earth system that can be used by the public, policymakers, and to support strategic decisions; or

(iii)coordinating Federal research and investments in understanding the forces shaping the global environment, both human and natural, and their impacts on society.

(D)Any other officials as the Director of National Intelligence or the chair of the Council may determine appropriate.

(2)The chair of the Council shall have responsibility for—

(A)identifying agencies to supply individuals from elements of the Federal Government that are not elements of the intelligence community;

(B)securing the permission of the relevant agency heads for the participation of such individuals on the Council; and

(C)any other duties that the Director of National Intelligence may direct.

(c)The Council shall carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

(1)To meet at least quarterly to—

(A)exchange appropriate data between elements of the intelligence community and elements of the Federal Government that are not elements of the intelligence community;

(B)discuss processes for the routine exchange of such data and implementation of such processes; and

(C)prepare summaries of the business conducted at each meeting.

(2)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 enables such analysis.

(3)To assess and identify best practices with respect to prior efforts of the intelligence community to analyze climate security.

(4)To assess and describe best practices for identifying and disseminating climate intelligence indications and warnings.

(5)To recommend methods of incorporating analysis of climate security and the best practices identified under paragraphs (2) through (4) into existing analytic training programs.

(6)To consult, as appropriate, with other elements of the intelligence community that conduct analysis of climate change or climate security and elements of the Federal Government that are not elements of the intelligence community that conduct analysis of climate change or climate security, for the purpose of sharing information about ongoing efforts and avoiding duplication of existing efforts.

(7)To work with elements of the intelligence community that conduct analysis of climate change or climate security and elements of the Federal Government that are not elements of the intelligence community that conduct analysis of climate change or climate security—

(A)to exchange appropriate data between such elements, establish processes, procedures and practices for the routine exchange of such data, discuss the implementation of such processes; and

(B)to enable and facilitate the sharing of findings and analysis between such elements.

(8)To assess whether the elements of the intelligence community that conduct analysis of climate change or climate security may inform the research direction of academic work and the sponsored work of the United States Government.

(9)At the discretion of the chair of the Council, to convene conferences of analysts and nonintelligence community personnel working on climate change or climate security on subjects that the chair shall direct.

(d)(1)Not later than January 31, 2021, and not less frequently than annually thereafter, the chair of the Council shall submit, on behalf of the Council, to the congressional intelligence committees a report describing the activities of the Council as described in subsection (c) during the year preceding the year during which the report is submitted.

(2)Each report under paragraph (1) shall include a description of any obstacles or gaps relating to—

(A)the Council fulfilling its duties and responsibilities under subsection (c); or

(B)the responsiveness of the intelligence community to the climate security needs and priorities of the policymaking elements of the Federal Government.

(e)The Council shall terminate on December 31, 2024.

(f)In this section:

(1)The term “climate security” means the effects of climate change on the following:

(A)The national security of the United States, including national security infrastructure.

(B)Subnational, national, and regional political stability.

(C)The security of allies and partners of the United States.

(D)Ongoing or potential political violence, including unrest, rioting, guerrilla warfare, insurgency, terrorism, rebellion, revolution, civil war, and interstate war.

(2)The term “climate intelligence indications and warnings” means developments relating to climate security with the potential to—

(A)imminently and substantially alter the political stability or degree of human security in a country or region; or

(B)imminently and substantially threaten—

(i)the national security of the United States;

(ii)the military, political, or economic interests of allies and partners of the United States; or

(iii)citizens of the United States abroad.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2023—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 118–31 substituted “

December 31, 2024” for “

December 31, 2025”. 2022—Subsec. (b)(1)(B)(v). Pub. L. 117–103, § 404(b)(1), inserted “and Security” after “for Intelligence”. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 117–103, § 404(a), designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted heading, and added par. (2). Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 117–103, § 404(b)(3), substituted “

December 31, 2025” for “the date that is 4 years after

December 20, 2019”. Pub. L. 117–103, § 404(b)(2), redesignated subsec. (e) relating to definitions as (f). Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 117–103, § 404(b)(2), redesignated subsec. (e) relating to definitions as (f). 2020—Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 116–260, § 405(b), substituted “intelligence indications” for “security indicators”. Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 116–260, § 618, added subsec. (d) and redesignated former subsec. (d) as (e) relating to sunset of Council.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Initial Appointments Pub. L. 116–92, div. E, title LIII, § 5321(c), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 2129, provided that: “Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 2019], the Director of National Intelligence shall appoint the members of the Council under section 120 of the National Security Act of 1947 [50 U.S.C. 3060], as added by subsection (a).”

§3060 Climate Security Advisory Council