Does the Environment Belong in Defense?
About the author: Carter Clelland ’21 is an FSI Global Policy Intern at United States Indo-Pacific Command in Honolulu. Carter is currently an International Relations major at Stanford University.
Working for the U.S. Armed Forces at Indo-Pacific Command met and surpassed all my expectations. Initially, I expected to assist in designing military bases, aircraft hangars, and naval ports as part of the engineering division. While that may not have been far off, my internship provided an even greater scope of military endeavors in the theater. The two most unexpected projects were writing a theater-wide environmental strategy and participating in a wargame.
As environmental conditions worsen and sea levels rise, our Pacific Island allies and partners face loss of coastline and seawater infiltrating fresh-water aquifers. South Asian partners struggle with waste management and oil spillage. East Asian countries suffer from polluted cities and droughts. Consequently, the environmental engineer tasked me with drafting the Pacific Environmental Security Strategy. In the document, I identify three advantages of including the environment in defense policy. First, a change in the environment causes military operations to change. Troops must operate differently as typhoons strengthen, landslides become more common, and floods and fires wipe out infrastructure. Second, a change in the environment increases the likelihood of conflict in a given region which will pull our Armed Forces off of their primary objective. As resources become scarcer, competition and conflict among people rise. Instead of focusing on the task at hand, soldiers may have to resolve local disputes before ensuring a safe operation can be carried out. Third, a shared goal of improving environmental conditions allows the U.S. government to build relationships with civilians and governments alike because the degrading environment is a common threat. These three reasons do not reflect the official view of the U.S. military or Department of Defense given the document’s current status as a draft.
Participating in a DoD wargame was an incredible opportunity! At the simulation, I represented the J4 — logistics, engineering, and security cooperation directorate. The experience gave me exposure to movement of resources across the theater, as well as the opportunity to speak with representatives from U.S. Transportation Command, the Defense Logistics Agency, and Defense Intelligence Agency, among others. The purpose of such an exercise is to ensure preparedness and iron out logistical inefficiencies.
At INDOPACOM, my main job was military construction and the prioritization of all future projects in the theater according to a set of criteria so that our limited funding is used most strategically and efficiently. The process also involved writing summary sheets of each project that could be shared with the Pentagon and developing briefing slides for future meetings.
My past blogs may have focused on my love for Hawai’i and adventure, but the work and my team at USINDOPACOM were the highlight of my summer. The internship opened my perspective to the military’s wide scope of activities in the theater and allowed me to be more certain about becoming an active duty or reserve military officer in the future. Mahalo!
Watching a final sunrise from Lanakai.
