Democrat President Joe Biden’s administration will reportedly add a climate policy czar to the U.S. military to combat climate change while communist China focuses on rapidly expanding the size and capabilities of its military.
Defense One reported:
The Defense Department released a climate risk analysis this month that says the warming climate poses an “existential threat” to America’s security. Climate change affects many facets of the military including bases being at risk in increasingly dangerous storms, the national guard being stretched thin responding to more frequent natural disasters and overall global instability driven by a warming climate that could require more military response.
Colin Kahl, the defense undersecretary for policy, said at an event hosted by New America that prioritizing climate change has not been done enough in the organization that he oversees.
“If we’re going to say that this is a national priority and it’s a priority for the department, then it needs to be a priority for my organization too,” Kahl said. “So we’re going to be making some organizational changes in the coming weeks and months to make sure we have an organization that champions these issues and that it is resourced to champion these issues, to make sure it gets integrated into all the various documents we oversee.”
When asked if that meant that the department would create a new policy position that focuses on climate change, Kahl responded, “We will have a senior person who deals with the whole range of these issues, and we’ll probably announce that in the next few weeks.”
The move by the Biden administration comes as China focuses on rapidly expanding the size and capabilities of its military for space, land, sea, and air operations.
Four-star General John E. Hyten, the outgoing Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned last week that China’s military progression was “stunning” and that the U.S. must take immediate action to remain the world’s preeminent superpower.
Hyten made the remarks following China’s second hypersonic missile test, which reportedly caught U.S. intelligence officials off guard.
“Calling China a pacing threat is a useful term because the pace at which China is moving is stunning,” Hyten said on Thursday. “The pace they’re moving and the trajectory they’re on will surpass Russia and the United States if we don’t do something to change it. It will happen. So I think we have to do something.”
“It’s not just the United States but the United States and our allies because that’s the thing that really changes the game,” Hyten added. “If it’s the United States only, it’s going to be problematic in five years. But if it’s the United States and our allies, I think we can be good for a while.”
Hyten warned that the U.S. is currently only making “marginal progress” in responding to the growing Chinese threat because “the Department of Defense is still unbelievably bureaucratic and slow.”