Pete Hegseth: “The DOD Does Not Do Climate Change Cr*p”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth just gave the best statement in response to a post from CNN’s Haley Britzkey about the Department of Defense cutting so-called ‘climate change’ programs.

On Sunday, CNN ran a story about how the Pentagon getting rid of woke climate change programs will be detrimental to national security.

In the piece, Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot rightfully pushed back against this narrative, stating that “climate zealotry” is not part of the DOD’s mission.

Secretary Hegseth agreed with Ullyot, going even further to say that the DOD “does not do climate change crap.”

Here’s Pete Hegseth’s full response:

John is, of course, correct.

The @DeptofDefense does not do climate change crap.

We do training and warfighting. https://t.co/eK5Xyf7fN4

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) March 9, 2025

Here’s an excerpt from the (totally bogus) CNN article that Hegseth was responding to:

As the Pentagon and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency set their sights on climate-related programs at the Defense Department, officials and experts are warning that slashing them could put US troops and military operations at risk, both in the near and long term.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other senior Pentagon officials have pointed to climate programs as a prime example of wasteful spending in the military. Hegseth told reporters in Germany in February that the Pentagon is “not in the business of climate change.”

Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Salesses also made it clear that funding would be cut in a statement last month, saying the Pentagon will “cease unnecessary spending that set our military back under the previous administration, including through so-called ‘climate change’ and other woke programs.”

But some officials and experts argue such thinking is short-sighted.

“I think they’re stuck on the word ‘climate’ and not seeing the operational impacts,” one US official said, adding that the cuts will pose “readiness issues all around.”

In response to multiple questions from CNN about military readiness as it relates to climate programs and the cutting of funding to research and other efforts, Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot said the Defense Department “is working closely with DOGE to identify efficiencies and savings across the department on behalf of taxpayers while we restore the warrior ethos and refocus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars.”

“Climate zealotry and other woke chimeras of the Left are not part of that core mission,” Ullyot said.

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Dr. Ravi Chaudhary, former assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy, installations and environment, told CNN that climate programs are not just important to giving the US military an edge on adversaries like China, but they also help keep service members and their families safe.

“Inaction at this point will put our readiness and the lives of our troops and their families at greater risk,” he said.

Indeed, officials who spoke to CNN pointed to a number of programs within the Defense Department that could technically be tagged as climate-related but have real operational impacts on the military.

Making military installations more resilient to extreme weather events, for example, could save the Pentagon billions in the long term as wildfires and hurricanes become more common and more intense. In 2019, the Air Force requested $5 billion to rebuild two major bases after hurricanes and flooding caused severe damage.

Sound like BS?

That’s because it is, and Hegseth is not afraid to call them out on it!

Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary is one of the best upgrades from the previous administration so far.

This is exactly what we voted for!

🚨 BREAKING: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issues new statement on climate change programs in the military.

"The Department of Defense does not do climate change crap. We do training and warfighting."

No wonder recruitment is soaring.

I voted for this. pic.twitter.com/JhKV5qkXiO

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 9, 2025