Ex Military Leaders Call for Renewable Energy to Be Counted as Defence Spending

A group of senior ex-military officials argue that investing in clean energy strengthens national security and reduces dependence on hostile nations.

A coalition of retired senior military officers has urged European governments to classify renewable energy investment as part of national defence spending, saying that the climate crisis poses a direct threat to global stability and security.

In an open letter addressed to European heads of government, the group which includes high-ranking former officials from the UK and the Netherlands argued that clean energy development is essential to national resilience. They say it’s time to treat energy security and climate action as part of the same mission.

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The proposal comes amid growing concern over Europe’s continued dependence on imported fossil fuels, particularly from Russia, which many leaders see as a geopolitical vulnerability. “We must end our dependence on foreign oil and gas,” the letter reads. “A reliance on fossil fuels makes our countries less secure. It leaves us susceptible to huge price spikes during times of conflict as we saw when Russia invaded Ukraine.”

Under current NATO commitments, member countries are expected to spend 3.5% of GDP on their armed forces and an additional 1.5% on “critical infrastructure,” such as civil preparedness. The signatories argue that renewable and low-carbon energy projects should fall under that 1.5% allocation.

Retired Lt Gen Richard Nugee, one of the letter’s key signatories, said renewable energy is a strategic defence investment not just an environmental necessity. “To have a strong military deterrence, we need a resilient homeland,”. “If we want to build a resilient country, low-carbon energy is a very important component.”

He added that renewable energy infrastructure such as wind and solar is more dispersed and less vulnerable to attack than centralized fossil fuel systems. “You can’t bomb the wind,” he said, emphasizing how distributed renewable systems make nations harder to destabilise during crises.

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Vice Admiral Ben Bekkering, a former senior Royal Netherlands Navy officer and now a partner of the International Military Council on Climate and Security, echoed this sentiment. “We need to find ways to look at security from a wider perspective than just the military,” he said. “By strengthening our military, economic and ecological resilience, we stand a better chance against aggression.”

Other signatories to the letter include Tom Middendorp, former Chief of Defence of the Netherlands; Air Marshal Sir Graham Stacey, former Chief of Staff at NATO Allied Command Transformation; Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti, former senior Royal Navy officer and professor of climate and resource security at University College London; retired Brigadier John Deverell, former UK Director of Defense Diplomacy; and retired Lt Gen Richard Wardlaw, chair of the Centre for Economic Security.

The growing military advocacy for climate resilience highlights an emerging shift in how global defense leaders view the threats of the 21st century. Environmental instability, from resource scarcity to extreme weather events, is increasingly recognized as a destabilizing force that fuels conflict, migration, and political unrest.

However, despite warnings from within the defense community, some governments appear slow to act. Earlier this month, Downing Street reportedly blocked publication of a major report by the UK’s Joint Intelligence Committee that warned of the national security risks posed by ecosystem collapse in regions like the Amazon.

At the same time, several Western nations have been expanding defense budgets while cutting back on overseas climate and development aid a move experts say could be short-sighted. “Clean energy is the route to net zero the only solution we have to halting climate change and avoiding ever-worsening impacts,” said Gareth Redmond-King, head of the international programme at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. “And clean energy offers greater national security if we want to end our reliance on authoritarian states that control so much of the world’s fossil fuels.”

For the retired military leaders, the message is clear: investing in renewable energy isn’t just about saving the planet it’s about defending it.

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