US military cancels climate change studies that Pentagon chief calls 'crap'

11/3/2025 6:50

The U.S. military is canceling more than 90 studies, including some that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed as climate change "crap."



Military and intelligence officials have over the past decade identified potential security threats from climate change that include natural disasters in densely populated coastal areas and damage to American military bases worldwide.



"The (Department of Defense) does not do climate change crap," Hegseth posted on X on Sunday. Hegseth took office in President Donald Trump's new administration on January 25.



An official Pentagon account then reposted a screenshot of a story quoting Hegseth using the word and added: "Fact check true."



The Pentagon said in a separate statement that it would be scrapping 91 social science-related studies on topics ranging from global migration patterns and climate change impact to social trends and would save $30 million in a year.