Net Zero Militaries: Retaining Operational Effectiveness in a Low Carbon World
Events in 2023
January
Dr Duncan Depledge presented his paper on ‘Low-Carbon Warfare’ and introduced the NETZMIL project to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory’s (DSTL) first conference on sustainability and climate security for defence. The 2-day conference brought together experts, practitioners and stakeholders from across defence and security, academia and the industry.
May
Dr Duncan Depledge presented on ‘Low-Carbon Warfare’ to the Energy Research Accelerator’sNet Zero Heroes webinar series on ‘the policies and economics of the Net Zero transition’. His presentation laid out the implications from a defence perspective and highlighted some of the challenges that militaries will have to address as a result.
June
Dr Duncan Depledge chaired a roundtable discussion on Climate Change, Net Zero and Future Military Operations at BISA.
The diversity of perspectives brought to the debate comprised views on the Indian military, presented by Dr Dhanasree Janayram (Manipal University), challenges and opportunities in military logistics, discussed by Matthew Stott (Cranfield University) and, lastly, military education and the climate agenda according to Dr Duraid Jalili (King’s College London).
July
On July 4th, Team Defence Information and the UK Strategic Command held an open workshop in the UTAC Proving Ground in Millbrook. The event, entitled ‘Battlefield Energy and Electrification’, comprised presentations from speakers coming from the Industry, the Army, the Future Capability Group and the Defence Support Energy & Futures and Innovation.
Dr Tamiris Santos participated in this event, in which, alongside attendees and panellists, reflections about defence and the ongoing initiatives regarding energy, hybridisation, and electrification options were discussed.
September
Dr. Duncan Depledge participated in a closed roundtable at DSEI 2023, exploringhow climate resilience can contribute to operational advantage. The roundtable was hosted in London by Ms. Victoria Doherty from QinetiQ.
On September 26th, Dr. Duncan Depledge participated in the Military Emissions Gap Conference 2023, hosted by Conflict and Environment Observatory at the University of Oxford. He discussed on the panel ‘Military carbon footprints: How do we decarbonise?’, chaired by Ms. Sarah Ashbridge (DSTL).
The International Workshop Brazil – UK 2023 was organised by the Postgraduate Programme in History (PPGH) of Salgado de Oliveira University (UNIVERSO), the Hermes Network of International Researchers in Borders, Integration and Conflicts, and Loughborough University (IRPH), in the scope of the NETZMIL research project.
Engaging with both defence practitioners and the academic community, the moderated debate aimed to analyse defence, the military, and the challenges of developing and guaranteeing environmental protection and conservation, as well as retaining operational effectiveness whilst keeping pace with the energy transition. Key takeaways about energy and decarbonisation in both countries’ horizons were also discussed.
Dr. Duncan Depledge and Dr. Tamiris Santos participated in the Barcelona Workshop on International Security hosted by Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals (IBEI). They shared the preliminary findings of the interviews conducted for the NETZMIL project from June to October, as well as some insights and reflections from raised from the UK’s perspective on European defence and security.
November
The Centro Soberania e Clima has organized a webinar series on “Climate, Sustainability and Defence” in partnership with the NETZMIL Project and the Brazilian Defence College. The first webinar, “Climate Change and National Defence,” discussed the implementation of climate change and sustainability agendas in defence and their operational advantage strategies. The webinar emphasised the need for a future with reduced fossil fuel availability, increased competition for strategic resources, and the advancement of cutting-edge technology.
In partnership with the Military Innovation Network, Loughborough University held the Seminars on Military Innovation: views from the North and the South at Loughborough London. Dr Duncan Depledge and Dr Tamiris Santos shared their ongoing work and outcomes of the first phase of the NETZMIL project, particularly highlighting the relationship between military innovation and low-carbon warfare.
On December 7th, Dr Duncan Depledge participated in a lunchtime webinar hosted by InnoSécur, a non-profit organisation based in Canada. On that occasion, Dr Depledge made a presentation on “Low-carbon Warfare”.
