The Department of Defense (DoD) is formally ending its long-standing focus on climate change as a national security issue, marking a significant shift in policy.
In response to an inquiry from CNN, Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot stated, “Climate zealotry and other woke chimeras of the Left are not part of that core mission.”
In response to a list of questions from CNN about military readiness as it relates to climate programs, Pentagon Spox John Ullyot said “Climate zealotry and other woke chimeras of the Left are not part” of DOD’s mission. https://t.co/sUFNT69jxT
— Haley Britzky (@halbritz) March 9, 2025
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This decision reverses nearly two decades of DoD initiatives aimed at integrating climate change considerations into military strategy, operations, and budgeting.
The military’s focus on climate-related concerns dates back to at least 2003 when the Office of Net Assessment released a report titled An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Security.
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By 2007, the Center for Naval Analyses’ Military Advisory Board published a report that described climate change as a “threat multiplier” that could exacerbate instability in volatile regions.
“Accordingly, it is appropriate to start now to help mitigate the severity of some of these emergent challenges,” the report stated.
The 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review further embedded climate policy into military planning, prioritizing the use of renewable energy, alternative fuels, and sustainability initiatives within DoD operations.
“The Military Departments have invested in noncarbon power sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass energy,” the report stated, emphasizing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and implement energy-efficient technologies.
Under previous leadership, the Army set a goal of transitioning all administrative vehicles to electric by 2035 and tactical vehicles by 2050.
These initiatives were part of a broader strategy that saw the Pentagon channel millions of dollars into social science research with a climate change focus.
However, as of Friday, that research portfolio has been officially shut down. Among the terminated projects were:
- The Climate-Food-Urbanization Nexus and the Precursors of Instability in Africa
- Social and Institutional Determinants of Vulnerability and Resilience to Climate Hazards in the African Sahel
- Anticipating Coastal Population Mobility: Path to Maladaptation or Sociopolitical Stability
- Comparing Underlying Drivers of South-North Migration in Central America and West Africa
- Future Fish Wars: Chasing Ocean Ecosystem Wealth
The shift in policy aligns with the priorities of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who has emphasized a return to core military objectives.
Hegseth has directed the Pentagon to refocus on training, force structuring, and modernization efforts necessary for combat readiness.
John is, of course, correct.
The @DeptofDefense does not do climate change crap.
We do training and warfighting. https://t.co/eK5Xyf7fN4
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) March 9, 2025
“If climate change is real, it will be addressed at home and abroad by agencies not called the Department of Defense,” one official familiar with the policy change stated.
“When the Defense Department encounters it, it will come in the form of weather and terrain; how we got there will be an academic exercise.”
The change also follows broader concerns about the military’s direction in recent years.
The Pentagon has faced criticism over its focus on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs and policies that some argue have distracted from warfighting readiness.
Hegseth is now faced with the challenge of reversing decades of bureaucratic drift and returning the military’s focus to combat effectiveness.
The Department of Defense’s shift away from climate policies signals a significant course correction that is expected to impact strategic planning, resource allocation, and operational priorities across all branches of the U.S. military.
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