Eleven Retired Military Leaders Push Congress To Prioritize Climate Crisis in Build Back Better

Group including top retired generals classifies climate crisis as “an active attack well underway, and it demands immediate, bold action.”

Washington, DC – A group of retired military leaders, including former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Wesley Clark, and retired Major General Paul D Eaton, is today writing to Congress, urging strong action on the climate crisis in the upcoming Build Back Better plan. The group is writing under the banner of VoteVets – the nation’s largest progressive veterans organization.

The group of eleven, in a letter being sent to all Democratic caucus members, write, “Drought, extreme heat, flooding, megastorms, wildfires, and freshwater contamination — all made more frequent and severe by climate change— are politically destabilizing on a global scale, exacerbating foreign conflicts and putting our national security at increased risk…. The impact that the climate crisis will have on migration and fights over natural resources has the potential to destabilize vast regions of the planet and exacerbate existing conflicts, giving rise to terrorist activity that threatens the security of the U.S. and our allies.”

“This is no longer just a potential threat on the horizon. As we have seen and experienced —with recent extreme weather events —this is an active attack well underway, and it demands immediate, bold action. Anything less will be a surrender, and that simply cannot be an option,” the group concludes.

The full letter is below.

The language of the letter mirrors that of a petition that VoteVets circulated among its supporters. That petition has 7519 signatures, including 1961 veterans.

OPEN LETTER FROM RETIRED MILITARY LEADERS TO POLICYMAKERS ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS

As retired U.S. military leaders, we value nothing more than the security of the country we admire, served, and swore oaths to protect and defend. American security and global stability are now similarly threatened, and we are calling for immediate action.

Drought, extreme heat, flooding, megastorms, wildfires, and freshwater contamination — all made more frequent and severe by climate change— are politically destabilizing on a global scale, exacerbating foreign conflicts and putting our national security at increased risk.

Extreme weather events pose significant risks to America’s military readiness. For example, rising sea levels consistently threaten our Naval installations, hurting our readiness and many of our military bases worldwide exist in countries that will be severely harmed by the developing climate catastrophe. If we do not act now, these bases and assets will become more vulnerable and eventually even inoperable, further destabilizing our own security.

Worse still, the Department of Defense has long classified climate change as a threat multiplier — meaning it puts our troops and our military assets at greater risk. The impact that the climate crisis will have on migration and fights over natural resources has the potential to destabilize vast regions of the planet and exacerbate existing conflicts, giving rise to terrorist activity that threatens the security of the U.S. and our allies.

This is no longer just a potential threat on the horizon. As we have seen and experienced —with recent extreme weather events —this is an active attack well underway, and it demands immediate, bold action. Anything less will be a surrender, and that simply cannot be an option.

As policymakers debate federal investments to address the climate crisis, we urge you to keep military readiness and our national security in mind. Collectively, we encourage you to prioritize climate policy priorities in the Build Back Better Budget that will be considered by Congress this fall.

Together, we are calling on you to step up and defeat this enemy by passing big, bold investments that will combat the climate crisis and protect our national security.

BG Steven Anderson, USA (Ret)

BGen Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Ret)

MG Paul Eaton, USA (Ret)

LTG Robert Gard, Jr. USA (Ret)

BGen Leif Hendrickson, USMC (Ret)

LTG Charles Otstott, USA (Ret)

MG Eric Olson, USA (Ret)

MG Gale S. Pollock, USA (Ret)

CAPT Larry Seaquist, USN (Ret)

COL Lawrence Wilkerson, USA (Ret)

GEN Wesley Clark, USA (Ret)