ADF urged to be ready for climate change role THE Australian Defence Force must pay much more attention to a future role dealing with the impact of climate change at home and in the region, a key think tank has warned. A report by the Australian Strategy Policy Institute argues that Defence will be forced to respond to the disruptive effects of climate change and needs a new approach. It says that at home and in the region the ADF will have to help deal with rising temperatures, extreme events such as cyclones of greater intensity, more frequent floods, rising sea levels, heatwaves, changing drought and fire risk along with shifting disease patterns.