Today, more than a dozen distinguished European and UK defense leaders released an open letter calling for clean energy investments to be included in NATO’s 1.5% non-core defense spending target, set at the summit in June 2025. International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) Chair, General Tom Middendorp, IMCCS Senior Advisor, General Richard Nugee, and IMCCS member, Vice Admiral Ben Bekkering, are among the signatories.
As the letter argues:
“Including clean energy in the 1.5% bracket will bolster European security, safeguard vital civilian infrastructure from attack, and protect Europe from the tyranny of fossil fuel strongmen. Increased military spending is a vital deterrent. However it is a false dichotomy to argue that it should come at the expense of action to tackle climate change, as some politicians and commentators have argued.
The NATO 1.5% target presents a historic opportunity to incentivise investments in clean energy that will keep us safe, bolster our economies, and help protect the planet.”