Washington, October 15 (RHC)-- A new report released by the Pentagon says climate change will pose major challenges for the United States' military. In a detailed report dubbed as a Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap, the Pentagon calls climate change a "threat multiplier" that has the power to aggravate many of the challenges the United States faces today, including "infectious diseases and terrorism."

"Climate change will affect the Department of Defense's ability to defend the nation and poses immediate risks to U.S. national security," according to the report. "A changing climate will have real impacts on our military and the way it executes its missions."

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel addressed the issue, stating that rising sea levels, stronger and more frequent natural disasters, and the threat of food and water shortages could trigger global instability.

"We have already seen these events unfold in other regions of the world, and there are worrying signs that climate change will create serious risks to stability in our own hemisphere," Hagel told a conference of defense ministers of the Americas in Peru on Monday.

U.S. military officials have long warned of changes in climate trends, in the wake of increased severe weather events and coastal flooding. Hagel stated that the change in climate patterns will require more military support and spending.

"Our militaries' readiness could be tested, and our capabilities could be stressed," he said, adding that the trends "will clearly have implications for our militaries."