International Military Council on Climate and Security

What International Military Council on Climate and Security does

The International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) is an international network of senior military leaders and security experts, founded in 2019 and administered by the Center for Climate and Security (CCS), an institute of the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR). The organization convenes defense leaders from more than 40 countries to anticipate, analyze, and address the security risks of climate change, with particular focus on NATO member state militaries. Its core product is the annual World Climate and Security Report series, augmented by specialized reports such as Decarbonized Defense (2022), regional climate security scenario analyses (Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, Sahel), the Young Leaders Network program, and a video podcast series called the Climate and Security Podcast. Distribution is free and digital through imccs.org, with high-leverage visibility via the Munich Security Conference, NATO Summits, and roundtables convened with governments and think tanks including IRIS, the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS), and Clingendael's Planetary Security Initiative.

IMCCS's business model is that of a non-profit policy network rather than a commercial enterprise. The organization does not sell products or services; all publications, reports, and resources are freely available to the global security community. Funding flows through donations and grants managed by the Council on Strategic Risks, a U.S.-based non-profit, with specific programmatic support evidenced from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for Munich Security Conference roundtables. The organization's value is delivered through three channels: expert-authored analysis, high-level convening at major security forums, and partnership-enabled institutional outputs such as the NATO Climate Change and Security Center of Excellence (CCASCOE), which IMCCS helped launch at the 75th NATO Summit in July 2024 and at which partner Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Department of National Defence play the host role. The organization operates with roughly 12 employees out of Washington, D.C., while its expert base extends across every inhabited hemisphere and into multiple government and think-tank partners.

Name

International Military Council on Climate and Security

Legal name

International Military Council on Climate and Security

Website

https://imccs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International Military Council on Climate and Security is a non-profit network of senior military leaders and security experts from 40+ countries that publishes the annual World Climate and Security Report and convenes defense leaders at forums like the Munich Security Conference and NATO Summits to address climate-driven security risks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Policy Research and Climate Security Analysis

NAICS

International Affairs (92812), National Security (928110)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Peace, Security & Arms Control Organizations (BPADAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Climate Risk & Scenario Analysis (TCFD/IFRS S2) (EUAHAJAD)

Keywords

• Climate security analysis
• Military policy research
• Defense decarbonization
• Security risk reporting
• International defense networks

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington, D.C.

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grant Funding: IMCCS operates as a non-profit organization funded through donations. The donations are managed by the Council on Strategic Risks, a U.S.-based non-profit organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IMCCS is an international network of senior military leaders and security experts from more than 40 countries that publishes annual World Climate and Security Reports, regional scenario analyses, and convenes high-level policy events to address climate-driven security risks facing militaries and the global security community. Its offerings include flagship research publications, the Young Leaders Network program, and collaborative events with NATO, the Munich Security Conference, and allied defense institutions.

Product overview

The International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) is an international network of senior military leaders and security experts from over 40 countries that publishes research and analysis on climate security risks. The core offering is the annual World Climate and Security Report series (including the flagship World Climate and Security Report and specialized reports like Decarbonized Defense), supplemented by regional climate security scenario analyses, the Young Leaders Network program, and high-level policy events and conferences. IMCCS works in partnership with organizations including NATO, the European Union, and various governments to advance climate security policy and action.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• World Climate and Security Report An annual comprehensive report series published by the IMCCS Expert Group analyzing the security dimensions of climate change, including military decarbonization, climate adaptation, and regional security risks for defense and policy leaders.
• Decarbonized Defense Report A report analyzing the operational costs of continued fossil fuel use by militaries and recommending that NATO and EU security leaders ensure low carbon considerations are key factors in procurement processes.
• Climate Security Scenario Analysis

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of climate security and military experts surveyed assess that climate-driven water insecurity will pose significant or higher risk to global security by 2030
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Center for Climate and Security (CCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCS, an institute of the Council on Strategic Risks, founded and administers IMCCS. CCS co-founders Francesco Femia and Caitlin Werrell serve as Managers and Senior Advisors to IMCCS.
• Council on Strategic Risks (CSR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSR is the parent non-profit organization that houses the Center for Climate and Security. Donations to IMCCS are managed by CSR.
• French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRIS is a member of the IMCCS Expert Group, contributing research on climate and security issues, particularly through the observatory on defense and climate change managed since 2016.
• The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHCSS is a member of the IMCCS Expert Group and developed the Climate Security Risk Monitor, a tool for examining relative climate hazard risks globally.
• Planetary Security Initiative (PSI) - Netherlands Institute of International Relations (Clingendael)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSI, hosted by Clingendael Institute, is a member of the IMCCS Expert Group and contributes expertise on planetary security and climate change.
• NATOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNATO is a key strategic partner for IMCCS. IMCCS helped ensure climate risks were part of conversations at the 75th NATO Summit in 2024 and supported the launch of the Climate Change and Security NATO Center of Excellence (CCASCOE).
• U.S. Mission to NATOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerU.S. Mission to NATO supports IMCCS young leaders programs, including sending delegations to NATO Public Forum events.
• Climate Change & (In)Security Project (CCIP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCIP is a collaboration between the University of Oxford and the British Army's Centre for Historical and Armed Conflict Research (CHACR), focusing on insecurities created by climate change.
• Swedish Defence UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA world-leading university in defense, crisis management, and security. IMCCS co-hosted the conference 'Integrating Climate Change into Professional Military Education' with this institution.
• Global Affairs Canada and Department of National DefencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed the establishment of the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE), headquartered in Montreal, Canada. IMCCS contributed to its official launch in July 2024.
• adelphimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman think tank that collaborated with IMCCS Expert Group and NATO to host a scenario exercise on climate security in the Balkans at the Berlin Climate Security Conference.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI): Internationally recognized security research institute publishing on climate and security among many other topics. Broadly comparable as a larger, more established institution operating in the same climate-security intellectual space.
• RAND Corporation: Large U.S. policy research organization publishing extensively on climate and national security. Broadly comparable as a much larger incumbent producing overlapping defense and climate-security analysis for policymakers.
• International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): World-leading defense and security think tank with growing climate-security programming. Broadly comparable as a larger incumbent in strategic studies serving overlapping defense ministry and policy audiences.

Direct peers

• adelphi: German think tank that collaborated with IMCCS on the Berlin Climate Security Conference and Balkans scenario exercise. Directly comparable as a European policy think tank applying climate-security analysis to defense and foreign policy.
• The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS): Core IMCCS Expert Group member and developer of the Climate Security Risk Monitor. Directly comparable as a Netherlands-based strategic studies think tank producing climate-security analysis for defense and policy audiences.
• IRIS (French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs): Core IMCCS Expert Group member managing an observatory on defense and climate change since 2016. Directly comparable as a French defense and security think tank producing climate-security research for European policy audiences.
• E3G (Third Generation Environmentalism): European climate change think tank with a dedicated climate-security and foreign policy program. Directly comparable as a non-profit producing authoritative analysis at the intersection of climate and international security.
• Planetary Security Initiative (Clingendael Institute): Core IMCCS Expert Group member hosted by the Netherlands Institute of International Relations 'Clingendael.' Directly comparable as a network focused on climate security and resource conflicts, serving overlapping policy and defense audiences.

Others

• Council on Strategic Risks (CSR): Parent non-profit of IMCCS that manages all donations. Directly comparable as a U.S.-based non-profit working on transnational security risks, including nuclear, biological, and climate-security threats.
• Center for Climate and Security (CCS): Parent organization of IMCCS and an institute of the Council on Strategic Risks. Directly comparable as a U.S.-based policy institute focused on climate and security, sharing leadership (Femia, Werrell) and operational infrastructure with IMCCS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IMCCS_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imccs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Military Council on Climate and Security