Retired US Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet wrote an opinion piece on The Hill calling on the US Defense Department to discontinue its "delusional" approach to its climate policy.
The veteran - who also served as a deputy administrator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and assistant secretary of Commerce under the Trump administration, and is currently the CEO of Ocean STL Consulting - criticized the involvement of five senior Defense Department officials in the COP28 climate conference in Dubai last month.
The Defense officials laid out the Biden administration's 2022 National Security Strategy, calling climate change the "existential challenge" of the 21st century, as well as the 2022 National Defense Strategy, stating that climate change created new geopolitical threats and increased demands on the force while straining bases, equipment, and readiness.
"The problem with these claims, as well as the assumptions in the various climate action plans put forth by the Pentagon, is that they are too vague to make sound investment decisions; lack the analytical rigor required by standard defense risk analyses; and, in some cases, are based on totally inaccurate assessments about what is occurring with the planet's climate," he said.
Alternatives to the Pentagon's Climate Policy
Gallaudet stressed that he does not dispute climate change as a critical consideration in discussions about national security, given that the warming temperatures in the Arctic could allow more Russian and Chinese activity in the area. However, he called the DOD's emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions a "misplaced priority."
An alternative he suggested the US defense apparatus should consider was to "focus on adapting to the changes already occurring in the geophysical Earth system" in order to prevail in any operating environment.
"Even though I have written about this before, I am compelled to double down on this point because the international security situation has degraded so severely in recent months," the retired admiral added, referring to wars between Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Hamas, and Taiwan and China, to name a few.
Gallaudet indicated that the best way to combat China's dependence on coal was not the electrification of US military assets but the focus on preventing climate-related effects on its warfighting capabilities, among other defense-related use of the knowledge of the geophysical environment.
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Short-Term Suggestions
For this, he provided several actions the DOD could immediately take to address such necessary capabilities. The first of which was the augmentation of environmental satellite acquisition.
"Environmental satellites have become essential tools for real-time weather monitoring and assimilation of high-resolution data into numerical models to improve forecasts," he explained.
He also suggested that the Defense Department should be able to at least purchase satellite data from the commercial weather industry to augment its current and future satellite fleet.
Another short-term action Galaudet suggested was to deploy ocean buoy networks at scale to accurately understand ocean currents and other maritime conditions on demand instead of focusing on sea level rise. The use of ocean data could become vital in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, especially for the US Navy, which was already undergoing a public-private partnership to research its capability to use ocean data for defense purposes.
"Heavy seas can damage surface ships, high currents may force Naval SEAL teams to abort some missions, and an incomplete understanding of anticipated sonar performance, which seawater ocean density affects, will greatly increase the risk of submarine counter-detection," he added.
Finally, Galaudet insisted that the US military and other national defense and security agencies expand the adoption of drone technology in all its domains.
"While satellites and buoy networks have proven their worth to the U.S. military already, the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the transformational value of drones on the battlefield," he said. "Uncrewed aerial, sea, and ground platforms have provided Ukraine an asymmetric advantage over a numerically superior foe."
In conclusion, Galaudet criticized the Pentagon officials who attended COP28 for suggesting energy-resilient installations, hybrid-electric tactical vehicles, and shipboard fuel efficiency measures as a way to make the US military a fighting force to be reckoned with.
"Such a claim is not only nonsense, it is also a delusional and dangerous distraction to meeting the urgent need to prepare for the defense of Taiwan," he retorted. "To this end, the DOD needs to ditch its emissions reduction directives and invest in climate-related capabilities that increase combat power."
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