Navy Secretary John Phelan ends climate action plan as DoD cuts programs

Navy Secretary John Phelan has scrapped the service’s climate action program aimed at addressing a threat his predecessor called “existential.”

“Today, I’m focusing on warfighters first and I’m rescinding the Biden administration’s climate action program,” Phelan said in a video posted on social media platform X.

In an separate post, Phelan added, “We need to focus on having a lethal and ready naval force, unimpeded by ideologically motivated regulations.”

It is unclear what elements of the action plan were considered “ideologically motivated,” and what regulations or policies were viewed as detracting from readiness or lethality.

“The Department of the Navy is focused on shipbuilding, deterrence and warfighting. We will no longer be sidetracked by climate-focused decision-making. Any distraction to those core priorities removes valuable resources better spent on readiness and operational effectiveness. Secretary Phelan will continue to focus on initiatives driven by military necessity aimed at making our Navy and Marine Corps more agile and responsive to ongoing global security threats,” Kristina Wong, Navy chief spokesperson, told Federal News Network in a statement. 

The report Phelan canceled was issued in 2022 by then – Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro. The action plan laid out the Navy’s ongoing climate-related efforts and long-term plans through 2030 and beyond.

“For the Department of Navy, this is existential. If we do not act, as sea levels rise, bases like Norfolk Naval Base and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island will be severely tested in their ability to support their missions. If temperatures continue to rise, the oceans will get warmer, creating more destructive storms requiring our Fleets and Marine Corps forces to increase their operational tempo to respond,” Del Toro wrote in the introduction to the 32-page report released in 2022. 

Multiple reports and studies have predicted that Parris Island — a critical Marine Corps training ground and the service’s second-oldest base in South Carolina — will face increasingly frequent and severe hurricanes, flooding, and extreme heat. Some scientists projected that by 2099, daily high tides could inundate up to three-quarters of the island, leaving much of the base unusable.

A string of reports has also projected that Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval base, will face increasingly frequent and severe tidal flooding and greater damage from storm surges. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science said sea levels in Norfolk are rising faster than in any other city along the Atlantic coast. 

To adapt to changes in global climate and the challenges it poses to the Navy’s operations, readiness and infrastructure, the service pledged to build a climate-ready force by building climate resilience and reducing climate threat.

“If you look at that plan, and it very clearly, I think, laid out the case for why bringing a climate lens to the Navy’s work is important for the warfighter, important for the core mission of the military. I think it’s disappointing to take that off the table,” Erin Sikorsky, director of the Center for Climate and Security, told Federal News Network. 

“My worry is, if you take away this plan, and you take away any focus, then you’re just creating a very expensive headache down the road, because you know that these hazards will continue to come whether we talk about climate change or not, it’s happening. It’s here,” Sikorsky added.

Meredith Berger, former assistant Navy secretary for energy, installations, and environment, spearheaded the effort during the Biden administration.

At the time, Berger explained that building climate resilience means addressing how extreme weather events impact training, updating cooling systems, and making electric and utility systems more resilient so they can withstand storms and other disruptions.

The cancellation of the Navy’s climate action program comes amid a broader Defense Department effort to eliminate climate-related programs and studies.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made it a priority to eliminate climate-related initiatives across the Pentagon. 

“The Department of Defense does not do climate change crap. We do training and warfighting.” Hegseth wrote on social media platform X in March.

Last month, the Defense Department announced it canceled more than 90 studies within the portfolio of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Some of those studies were related to “global migration patterns, climate change impacts and social trends,” according to a statement from the Defense Department. The Pentagon said canceling those studies saved the DoD $30 million.

On April 10, Hegseth said he terminated a set of 11 contracts across the department for consulting services that support climate and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. 

“I will note that last month the Secretary gave some indication saying, ‘When I say we’re not doing climate, that doesn’t mean we’re not going to do extreme weather prediction, or that we’re not going to be concerned with the resilience of our bases.’ So I think it seems like there’s an ongoing conversation. When you say we’re not doing climate, what does that actually mean?” Sikorsky said.

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