{"id":39980,"date":"2019-03-07T00:15:06","date_gmt":"2019-03-07T00:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:55:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:55:09","slug":"dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t ignore military advice on climate change, Mr. President"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first job of a leader is to protect the people. With President Trump\u2019s continued denial of the risks of climate change \u2014 and proposed appointment of a White House panel clearly meant to undermine the military\u2019s assessment of this danger \u2014 he is failing at that fundamental obligation. As a former naval officer, it is deeply disturbing to me to see our commander in chief strike the colors in the face of danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Climate change is a national security threat. Stronger storms will lead to increasing damage to coastal military facilities, as when Hurricane Michael caused substantial damage at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/10\/11\/tyndall-sustains-direct-hit-extensive-damage-from-hurricane\/\" target=_blank>Tyndall Air Force Base<\/a> in Florida. Stresses on resources and agricultural changes will increase the global flow of refugees and cause cross-border instability. That, in turn, will mean greater involvement of U.S. forces around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For years, the Pentagon included the impacts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2017\/09\/12\/pentagon-is-still-preparing-for-global-warming-even-though-trump-said-to-stop\/\" target=\"_blank\">climate change in our defense planning<\/a>. In 2003, the Department of Defense under President George W. Bush <a href=\"https:\/\/eesc.columbia.edu\/courses\/v1003\/readings\/Pentagon.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">concluded<\/a> climate change \u201cshould be elevated beyond a scientific debate to a U.S. national security concern.\u201d The last several Quadrennial Defense Reviews, which assess the array of threats facing the United States, have considered the impact of global warming. The QDR stated that \u201cthe impacts of climate change may increase the frequency, scale, and complexity of future missions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2019\/01\/18\/dod-majority-of-mission-critical-bases-face-climate-change-threats\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1051996330cc.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Climate change threatens a majority of mission-critical military bases, Pentagon report says<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The report found climate change is a threat to more than two-thirds of operationally critical installations.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than a decade ago, a distinguished <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cna.org\/cna_files\/pdf\/national%20security%20and%20the%20threat%20of%20climate%20change.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">panel<\/a> of retired senior flag officers concluded that \u201cclimate change poses a serious threat to America\u2019s national security,\u201d citing its role in promoting instability. Most recently, a 2019 military report on the changing climate said that \u201crecurrent flooding, drought, and wildfires are the primary concerns at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/11\/02\/hurricane-damage-has-marines-headed-to-camp-lejeune-looking-for-alternative-housing\/\" target=\"_blank\">the 79 installations<\/a>.\u201d Those concerns come on top of a major government <a href=\"https:\/\/nca2018.globalchange.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\">report<\/a> by scientists at the Department of Defense, NASA, and 11 other agencies, that climate change will have a devastating effect on our economy and society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rather than act on this overwhelming evidence and protect our military capabilities and our citizens, the president has decided to ignore the problem, attempt to discount the truth and muddy the waters on clear scientific proof. According to reports, Mr. Trump is planning to set up a panel of cherry-picked government officials who will write a manifesto of alternative facts to justify the administration\u2019s inaction. This is right out of big tobacco\u2019s book when they for years, in the teeth of overwhelming evidence, used bogus reports denying that cigarettes were harmful<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I was secretary of the Navy, our first mission was to build a force designed to meet the real-world dangers we would face. To do my job, to fulfill my duty to our women and men in uniform and to this country, I valued and prioritized information that helped the greatest Navy in the world do its job better, and that protected our assets and readiness. As retired Rear Adm. David Titley recently said, \u201cI never thought I would live to see the day in the United States where our own White House is attacking the very science agencies that can help the president understand and manage the climate risks to security of today and tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/07\/25\/scores-of-lawmakers-warn-defense-department-dont-whitewash-climate-change-report\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3745630.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Dozens of lawmakers warn Defense Department: Don\u2019t whitewash climate change report<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A report due to Congress later this year has removed several of the previous references to climate change.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From all reports, the new Trump panel is the antithesis of proper military planning. It seems that instead of gathering facts that will improve our ability to manage a dangerous world, this is an exercise meant to justify a political position based on nothing. It is also reported that the panel will conduct its business in secret, side stepping a federal disclosure law, in order to avoid the kind of scrutiny that fact-based inquiries don\u2019t fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These kinds of games sometimes happen in Washington. But they would never be tolerated by the active military service in the field or on the high seas. The folly of this endeavor is most clear to me when I think of my time, not as a leader of the Navy, but as a young lieutenant junior grade on a Navy cruiser. Our skipper, when assessing the enemy or the seas, would never have asked us to ignore the facts and find a politically convenient answer. Putting his sailors in danger like that would have been unthinkable. But that is exactly what our commander in chief is trying to do. Now is the time for Mr. Trump to listen to generals and admirals \u2014 they\u2019re telling him of a grave threat to our national security that we cannot ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Ray Mabus was secretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2017, governor of Mississippi from 1988 to 1992, and currently serves on the board of Environmental Defense Fund. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Military Times or its staffers.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For years, the Pentagon included the impacts of climate change in our defense planning, says a former Navy secretary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":57476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":77,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[77,101,25,14],"tags":[],"coauthors":[4379],"class_list":["post-39980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters","category-opinion"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"2CJ3CG2YXFHTJGFZQQG33QSKWU","arc_canonical_url":"\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Don\u2019t ignore military advice on climate change, Mr. President - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For years, the Pentagon included the impacts of climate change in our defense planning, says a former Navy secretary.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Don\u2019t ignore military advice on climate change, Mr. President\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For years, the Pentagon included the impacts of climate change in our defense planning, says a former Navy secretary.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-07T00:15:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T07:55:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ray Mabus\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ray Mabus\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/07\\\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/07\\\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Don\u2019t ignore military advice on climate change, Mr. President\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-03-07T00:15:06+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T07:55:09+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/07\\\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 785,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/07\\\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4980733.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Commentary\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Opinion\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/07\\\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/07\\\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/07\\\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Don\u2019t ignore military advice on climate change, Mr. President - Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/07\\\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/07\\\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4980733.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-03-07T00:15:06+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T07:55:09+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"For years, the Pentagon included the impacts of climate change in our defense planning, says a former Navy secretary.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/07\\\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/07\\\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/07\\\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4980733.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4980733.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/07\\\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Opinion\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"opinion\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Commentary\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"commentary\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Don\u2019t ignore military advice on climate change, Mr. President\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Marine Corps Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Don\u2019t ignore military advice on climate change, Mr. President - Marine Corps Times","description":"For years, the Pentagon included the impacts of climate change in our defense planning, says a former Navy secretary.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Don\u2019t ignore military advice on climate change, Mr. President","og_description":"For years, the Pentagon included the impacts of climate change in our defense planning, says a former Navy secretary.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/","og_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","article_published_time":"2019-03-07T00:15:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T07:55:09+00:00","author":"Ray Mabus","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ray Mabus","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Don\u2019t ignore military advice on climate change, Mr. President","datePublished":"2019-03-07T00:15:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T07:55:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/"},"wordCount":785,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4980733.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Commentary","Daily News Roundup","Newsletters","Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/","name":"Don\u2019t ignore military advice on climate change, Mr. President - Marine Corps Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4980733.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2019-03-07T00:15:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T07:55:09+00:00","description":"For years, the Pentagon included the impacts of climate change in our defense planning, says a former Navy secretary.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4980733.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4980733.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/03\/07\/dont-ignore-military-advice-on-climate-change-mr-president\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Opinion","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/","ad_zone":"opinion"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Commentary","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/","ad_zone":"commentary"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Don\u2019t ignore military advice on climate change, Mr. President"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","name":"Marine Corps Times","description":"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization","name":"Marine Corps Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","caption":"Marine Corps Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4980733.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39980"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87058,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39980\/revisions\/87058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39980"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=39980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}