Officials and experts warn that Pentagon plans to cut climate programs will hurt national security

As the Pentagon and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency set their sights on climate-related programs at the Defense Department, officials and experts are warning that slashing them could put US troops and military operations at risk, both in the near and long term.

As the Pentagon and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency set their sights on climate-related programs at the Defense Department, officials and experts are warning that slashing them could put US troops and military operations at risk, both in the near and long term. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other senior Pentagon officials have pointed to climate programs as a prime example of wasteful spending in the military. Hegseth told reporters in Germany in February that the Pentagon is “not in the business of climate change.” Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Salesses also made it clear that funding would be cut in a statement last month, saying the Pentagon will “cease unnecessary spending that set our military back under the previous administration, including through so-called ‘climate change’ and other woke programs.” But some officials and experts argue such thinking is short-sighted. “I think they’re stuck on the word ‘climate’ and not seeing the operational impacts,” one US official said, adding that the cuts will pose “readiness issues all around.” In response to multiple questions from CNN about military readiness as it relates to climate programs and the cutting of funding to research and other efforts, Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot said the Defense Department “is working closely with DOGE to identify efficiencies and savings across the department on behalf of taxpayers while we restore the warrior ethos and refocus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars.”