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Comment by smitty1e | Hacker News Reader

You can't have the SecDef talking about "climate change" as a national security threat and expect any sobriety in the accounting department.

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Consider reading on how the Bronze Age ended. That international economy was brought down by local instability that might have been kicked off by migrants from a minor climate event that sent economic effects cascading all over the known world, like dominoes.

The US military is nothing if not students of history, they believe the scientists, they can tell what's happening diplomatically - we're missing our emissions targets.

To me, it is ominous how seriously they are taking it.

And, not for nothing, but the US military facilitates huge amounts of climate research, on the poles and elsewhere. They're a big part of the reason we even know how much trouble we're in.

> The US military is nothing if not students of history,

Tactically/operationally, I'll give you a 'maybe'..

"Personnel is policy", and the true dogs of war, the Pattons, are supplanted by the poodles of DEI.

Ah yes, diversity, equity and inclusion, concepts obviously opposed to the principle of a peacekeeping mission. Remember that war is not the goal, but a tool for peace.

I'm just not with you here. The fact that DEI and climate change are part of policy for the US military reflects an awareness of the times, not a lack of it.

To believe otherwise is to stand firmly on the wrong side of history, in my eyes.

As a veteran, all of this frippery is a distraction from the actual combat mission of the troops.

Combat isn't the DoD's mission. It's one of the tools to achieve the DoD's mission of furthering US interests.

Sure, humanitarian missions. However, let's be clear: the DoD's reason for existing is warheads on foreheads. Don't make me get all "Patton" on you. :-)

Political instability / war / mass migrations, and associated interruption to food and energy supplies - how are these not national security threats?

How is climate change not a national security threat?

Unsure when climate was constant.

Likewise, there has never been a time when the US has not faced any threats to its security.

Oh, absolutely. For example, actual rivals triggering a waste of resources on climate change, DEI, and the rest of the contemporary follies.

Ok. And how does that make it not a national security threat?

Not on any reasonable time horizon, no.

this person has no idea what they are talking about and is stuck in the kind of denialist rhetoric that seems cute 10 or 15 years ago but is now competely embarrassingly wrong

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