Worldwide Emerging Environmental Issues Affecting the U.S. Military. April 2010

• Other Authors: FEDERATION OF UN ASSOCIATIONS WASHINGTON DC MILLENNIUM PROJECT
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: Military Operations; Strategy and Tactics; Environmental Health and Safety; *ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT; *AIR TRAFFIC; *MILITARY OPERATIONS; ICELAND; AIRPORTS; DECISION MAKING; POLICIES; CHAOS; ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES; ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY; Eyjafjallajokull; Iceland
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA527015; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA527015

The Chaos Caused by the Volcanic Eruption in Iceland Revealed Lack of a Global Framework to Deal with Large-Scale Air Traffic Disturbances. The total or partial closure of 313 European airports (75% of the European airport network) in the period April 15-21 due to the ash cloud following the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano affected over 100,000 flights, 10 million passengers, and loss of 2.5 billion ($3.31 billion). The concurrent decision-making chaos exposed the lack of an adequate international framework and coordination strategy to deal with such large-scale disruptions (natural or manmade). The event might lead to new EU agreements such as the "Single European Sky" project, establishment of a single air network management solution, harmonization of all aviation-related national regulations, and eventually the creation of a global response strategy. The number and scale of air traffic disruptions could increase due to a combination of increasing travel and the larger scale of unexpected natural (and/or manmade) events as climate change continues. Military Implications: This is increased evidence that the military should continue planning, coordination, and training with counterparts around the world for assisting people's relocation and/or security in such large-scale disruptions (this time the UK used military ships to repatriate some of its stranded travelers).