Slashdot Mirror


The Military's Latest Enemy: Climate Change

Lasrick writes A surprising report from the Pentagon last month places climate change squarely among the seemingly endless concerns of the US military. Although a Wall Street Journal editorial misrepresented the report in an editorial (subtitled 'Hagel wants to retool the military to stop glaciers from melting'), the report itself is straightforward and addresses practical military issues such as land management of bases and training facilities. "So, this plan is not really about mobilizing against melting glaciers; it's more like making sure our ships have viable facilities from which to launch bombs against ISIS. And the report doesn't just focus on home, though. It casts a wider eye towards how a changing climate will affect defense missions in the future."

2 of 163 comments (clear)

  1. Re:The Pentagon is more important than climate cha by dotancohen · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why are we spending so much money on satellites? We could have bought a couple Cold War fighter jets that will never be used and that explode on liftoff!

    Is that parody or is that news? I cannot believe that one-sided, war-mongering, short-sighted propaganda piece is called 'News'. It packs more lies, ridicule, non sequiturs, and manipulation into three minutes than I've even seen before. Are people really expected watch that and then form their own opinions? If that is how Americans get their news, it explains so much about American ignorance, xenophobia, and thirst for war.

    --
    It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
  2. Re:Many potential impacts of climate change by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The military is a huge "ship" that takes much time to turn.

    And that, right there, is why the military needs to be cut to a fraction of its current size.

    When World War II broke out, the US military was tiny - compared with its enemies', or with itself at any later time. Yet that was the war that established American world dominance. You don't win a major war by having the biggest army at the start, you win it by having the biggest economy. A military establishment that drains that economy is actually counter-productive to national security. (Just ask the Former Soviet Union.)