United States Army Secretary Christine E. Wormuth took some heat via Twitter when she boasted on Thursday that the Army was prioritizing a plan to combat climate change.
Wormuth revealed that Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was home to the largest floating solar array — solar panels that float on the surface of a body of water while tethered to the bottom — in the southeastern United States, and she argued that was proof of the military’s leadership when it came to climate change.
“A priority for me and our @USArmy is #resiliency in the face of climate change. At #FortBragg, we have the largest floating solar array in the Southeast United States,” Wormuth tweeted. “This is just one of many examples of how our Army #LeadsFromTheFront in climate innovation and adaptation.”
A priority for me and our @USArmy is #resiliency in the face of climate change. At #FortBragg, we have the largest floating solar array in the Southeast United States. This is just one of many examples of how our Army #LeadsFromTheFront in climate innovation and adaptation.
— Secretary of the Army Christine E. Wormuth (@SecArmy) March 2, 2023
Critics were quick to respond to Wormuth’s tweet, with a number arguing that the military should not be prioritizing climate action over combat readiness and preparing new recruits for potential future battles.
“This is completely and totally asinine, bordering on dangerous,” Army Ranger veteran Sean Parnell tweeted in response. “Just not much more to say about it & if you can’t see why this is dangerous I can’t help you.”
This is completely and totally asinine, bordering on dangerous.
Just not much more to say about it & if you can’t see why this is dangerous I can’t help you. https://t.co/rRrA7prsBr
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) March 4, 2023
Retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant Jessie Jane Duff reacted as well, tweeting, “China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are watching as the Secretary of the Army brags that her priority is fighting climate change. @SecArmy, your absurd focus is why the U.S. military was rated as weak, relative to the force needed to defend national interests …”
China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are watching as the Secretary of the Army brags that her priority is fighting climate change. @SecArmy, your absurd focus is why the U.S. military was rated as weak, relative to the force needed to defend national interests.… https://t.co/Ao8PXlTIQ0
— Gunnery Sergeant Jessie Jane Duff (@JessieJaneDuff) March 5, 2023
“How about learning how to win wars again? How about we train generals to do that at War College, and stop forcing male soldiers to march in high heels, giving the soldiers hazardous MRNA injections, and teaching them to use the correct pronouns. How about that, huh?” @DaddyWarpig wanted to know.
“This is how we eventually will land ourselves in WWIII. Our enemies laughing their heads off and construing obsession with the climate change cult as a sign of weakness and lack of focus,” Ken Gardner added.
This is how we eventually will land ourselves in WWIII. Our enemies laughing their heads off and construing obsession with the climate change cult as a sign of weakness and lack of focus. https://t.co/LJdyhzsY1s
— Ken Gardner (@KenGardner11) March 5, 2023
“I know I am just a dumb retired Senior Enlisted guy, but I can think of 15,000 more important priorities for the Secretary of the Army than climate resiliency,” retired Navy SEAL Derrick Van Orden commented.
I know I am just a dumb retired Senior Enlisted guy, but I can think of 15,000 more important priorities for the Secretary of the Army than climate resiliency. https://t.co/bGTb1wdYab https://t.co/1ny0ll0N4N
— Derrick Van Orden (@derrickvanorden) March 4, 2023