Green defense

decarbonizing the armed forces

Abstract

Climate change is at the forefront of global discussions, with national and international events intensifying the discourse on the topic. Researchers in the Defense sector have been conducting studies on how climate change will exacerbate insecurity and lead to armed conflicts worldwide. Meanwhile, the term decarbonization is gaining prominence across various sectors including industry, transportation, and energy generation. The conducted research presents an original investigative contribution regarding the decarbonization strategies of the Armed Forces (AF), considered leaders worldwide. For this purpose, a qualitative and bibliographic methodology is employed. Qualitative, as there is no intention to generalize results probabilistically, but rather to describe phenomena, situations, and contexts, explaining how they are and manifest themselves. Bibliographic, as it uses material published in books, documents, journals, and websites.The findings indicate that: i) with the escalation of the climate crisis and global energy transition, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union (EU), and Eastern Armed Forces have begun to include measures to reduce fossil fuel usage in their discussions; ii) AF initiatives are in their infancy and surrounded by uncertainties; and, iii) AF from some countries lack knowledge about the hydrogen energy production process and its benefits, raising concerns about the consistency of its exploration.