America’s military exists for one purpose: to fight and win wars. That’s been true since the Continental Army faced down the British at Lexington and Concord. It’s a straightforward mission that shouldn’t be controversial.

But for nearly twenty years, our armed forces have been dragged into all sorts of side quests. Social engineering experiments. Cultural transformation initiatives. Programs that have absolutely nothing to do with maintaining the world’s most lethal fighting force.

No More “Climate Change Crap”

That era is officially over. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made that crystal clear Sunday with a blunt statement that has left progressive Pentagon bureaucrats clutching their pearls. The horror of actually focusing on defense!

From ‘Fox News’:
“John is, of course, correct,” the defense secretary wrote. “The @DeptofDefense does not do climate change crap. We do training and warfighting.”

Hegseth was responding to CNN reporter Haley Britzky, who had shared a story claiming that cutting climate programs at the Pentagon could “put troops and military operations at risk.” When CNN reached out with a list of questions about military readiness, Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot didn’t mince words. He stated that “Climate zealotry and other woke chimeras of the Left are not part” of DOD’s mission.

The message couldn’t be clearer: The military is getting back to basics.

Reversing Two Decades of Mission Drift

This policy shift dismantles initiatives that began as early as 2003. That’s when the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment first warned about climate change as a potential national security threat.

By 2010, climate considerations had become thoroughly embedded in military planning. The previous administration doubled down. They invested heavily in renewable energy projects. They set ambitious goals that included transitioning all administrative vehicles to electric by 2035 and tactical vehicles by 2050.

Millions of taxpayer dollars funded social science research with questionable military value. One example highlighted by DOD spokesman Sean Parnell: $1.6 million to the University of Florida to study “the social and institutional detriment of vulnerability in resilience to climate hazards in Africa.” Try saying that five times fast – or explaining how it helps defend America.

“This stuff is just not a core function of our military,” Parnell explained. “This is not what we do. This stuff is a distraction from our core mission.”

Who would have thought that the Department of Defense should focus on, you know, defense?

DOGE and DOD: Hunting Waste Together

The fiscal reckoning doesn’t stop with climate programs. The Department of Defense is now working closely with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, to identify and eliminate wasteful spending across the Pentagon.

Initial findings have already identified approximately $80 million in potential savings. That’s real money that can go toward actual defense capabilities instead of progressive pet projects.

Beyond climate programs, the review flagged numerous diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. These include $1.9 million for “holistic DEI transformation and training” in the Air Force and $6 million to the University of Montana to “strengthen American democracy by bridging divides.” Because nothing says “military readiness” like university workshops on bridging divides.

Hegseth noted that many DOGE workers are veterans themselves, making them ideal partners in the efficiency effort. “They care just like we do, to find the redundancies and identify the last vestiges of Biden priorities — the DEI, the woke, the climate change B.S., that’s not core to our mission, and we’re going to get rid of it all,” he said.

Critics Miss the Point on Readiness

Predictably, progressive defense “experts” are claiming these cuts will somehow harm military readiness. They argue that climate initiatives are essential for preparing bases for extreme weather and reducing operational vulnerabilities.

What they fail to understand is that true military readiness comes from focused training, modern equipment, and clear mission priorities – not from diverting resources to fashionable political causes. If these experts are so concerned about climate research, perhaps they should advocate for it at agencies where it actually makes sense.

American taxpayers should celebrate this return to fiscal sanity and mission focus. Every dollar wasted on ideological side projects is a dollar not spent on the training, equipment, and support our troops actually need to defend the nation.

Key Takeaways:

• The Pentagon is refocusing on its core mission of “training and warfighting,” eliminating climate and DEI programs.
• Initial findings from the Pentagon-DOGE partnership have identified approximately $80 million in wasteful spending.
• Secretary Hegseth called it “the last vestiges of Biden priorities — the DEI, the woke, the climate change B.S.”

Sources: Fox News, Tampa Free Press, New York Post