272 pages
6 x 9
16 illustrations
Threat Multiplier takes us onto the battlefield and inside the Pentagon to show how the US military is confronting the biggest security risk in global history: climate change. More than thirty years ago, when Sherri Goodman became the Pentagon’s first Chief Environmental Officer, no one would have imagined this role for our armed forces.
Indeed, for much of the twentieth century, the Department of Defense (DOD) was better known for containing the Soviet nuclear threat than protecting the environment. And yet, today, the military has moved from an environmental laggard to a clean energy and climate leader, recognizing that a warming world exacerbates every threat—from hurricanes and forest fires, to competition for increasingly scarce food and water, to terrorism and power plays by Russia and China. The Pentagon now considers climate in war games, disaster relief planning, international diplomacy, and even the design of its own bases.
What was the key to this dramatic change in military thinking? What keeps today’s generals and admirals up at night? How can we safeguard our national defense and our planet? No one is better poised to answer these questions than Sherri Goodman, who was at the vanguard of environmental leadership among our armed forces and civilian representatives. In Threat Multiplier, she tells the inside story of the military’s fight for global security, a tale that is as hopeful as it is harrowing.
"A memoir by a fighter in a decades-long campaign to make U.S. defense policy take climate change and the environment seriously…. what is distinctive, even special, about Goodman’s book is her description of how she moved from academia to Senate staff work to a senior Pentagon position to a perch in the think tank universe. That is a successful career, even a highly successful one, but it is also the sort of trajectory that rarely gets documented…. Goodman’s perspective is valuable. It’s a reminder that progress can be made, however slowly it may go. More significantly, it’s a reminder that progress mostly has less to do with sudden revolutionary change than with the steady work of repeating oneself in nice conference rooms in the hopes of catching the ear of people who can change policy ever so slightly."
The Washington Post
"Provides valuable insights on the role of science and technology in the 'greening' of the US military...Her accessible writing style and the personal anecdotes she brings to the narrative provide a welcome humanization of the military's work in the context of environmental policy. This book will be an important chronicle of a pivotal period in global environmental and military history."
Science Magazine
"The climate crisis has enormous national security implications, and no one knows that better than Sherri Goodman, who long ago coined the phrase ‘threat multiplier’ to capture the ways this environmental wrecking ball would inform policymakers in situation rooms everywhere. There is no one better to take readers along on the Pentagon's journey wrestling with this new and evolving reality implicating basing, training, peacekeeping, and much more. A must read for everyone who wants to understand why climate imperatives aren't just for environmentalists."
John F. Kerry, former Secretary of State and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate
"This is an immensely informative and very important book. The story of how climate change and global security are intertwined—and how the US Department of Defense grasped this reality to become the US government leader in embedding climate-change resilience into its core responsibilities—is told here by a woman whose deep insight and remarkable political skill helped her do more than anybody to achieve this stunning result."
John P. Holdren, Harvard University, former Science Advisor to the President
"Over the course of my naval career, I came to appreciate how climate change was affecting global politics—literally altering the geostrategic landscape. Sherri Goodman tells the untold story of how many of our nation's military leaders came to appreciate this challenge and recognize climate change as one of the key global threats of our age."
Admiral James Stavridis, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and co-author of '2054: A Novel'
"Climate change adds additional instability to a world already disrupted by strategic competition with China, Russia and Iran, two regional wars, and mounting challenges from new technologies such as AI and cyber. Sherri Goodman shows how the US military is managing these risks and why a bipartisan approach to building a more resilient future supports our national security."
Stephen J. Hadley, former US National Security Advisor
"As Secretary of Defense, my job was to protect the nation from all manner of threats. Climate change was one of those threats. But it's not just one among a list of many. It's the threat that multiplies all others. Sherri Goodman gives us a first-hand account of how climate change affects the military and our national security - and the steps we must take to build a more secure future."
Leon Panetta, former Secretary of Defense
"When I led US forces in Europe and Latin America, I witnessed how a changing climate creates instability, from weather extremes to environmental degradation. Threat Multiplier is a must read for military, civilian, and humanitarian leaders who want to understand how a changing climate and the energy transition affect decision making on these critical global challenges."
General Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander
"When the scientific understanding of climate change and its impacts was just beginning to solidify, Sherri Goodman realized that climate change will be at the very heart of military security, for the United States and every other country. Her leadership on climate change as a threat multiplier has been the stimulus for a rich and dynamic body of scholarship and policy. This book connects the threads that link the science and the strategy. And it points the way to a safe world."
Christopher Field, Director, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
"As Secretary of Defense, I observed how our allies and partners face direct risks to their stability from a changing climate. Sherri Goodman's insiders' view shows us how our nation's military leaders are making decisions that improve our global resilience to climate change."
Chuck Hagel, former Secretary of Defense and US Senator
"Sherri Goodman draws on her own experience and that of many military leaders to make a compelling case that climate change serves as a catalyst for conflict in vulnerable parts of the world and can weaken our security at home if we don't act now to build resilience to these complex geopolitical risks. Her message is a bipartisan call to act today to protect our national security in the future."
Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of Homeland Security
"For anyone interested in climate change and U.S. national security, Threat Multiplier is a must-read book. Goodman offers a compelling history of the Pentagon’s pivot to consider climate change as a major security threat and provides invaluable insights to guide future defense policy in dealing with this growing danger."
Michèle Flournoy, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy
"When I led US forces in the Middle East, conflict, not climate change, was at the front of my mind. Yet I could see how the two are inextricably intertwined, with climate change multiplying the threats that lead to conflict. Sherri Goodman makes those connections in this excellent book - one I would recommend to all military leaders."
General Anthony Zinni, former Commander, US Central Command
"No one understands better than Sherri Goodman how a changing climate is reshaping our national security, and how leaders, both military and civilian, must integrate these risks and opportunities into our global future. Threat Multiplier offers an insider's perspective on how climate and energy affect national security strategy and our military operations."
Fred Kempe, President and CEO, Atlantic Council
"As a conservation leader, I want to protect our planet's precious natural resources for future generations. Sherri Goodman shows us how the military is doing its part and why natural resource conservation and climate change are core components of global security, as seen through the eyes of the nation's top military leaders."
Carter Roberts, President and CEO, World Wildlife Fund US
"Sherri Goodman tells the stories of how military leaders like myself experience the changing climate in our missions, from drought to storms. She helps us understand how we can better prepare and adapt, showing that the threat multiplier of climate change can become the opportunity multiplier of smart solutions."
General (Ret) Tom Middendorp, former Dutch Chief of Defense, and Chairman, International Military Council on Climate & Security
Introduction
Chapter 1. From Weapons to Waste
Chapter 2. The Birth of Environmental Security
Chapter 3. Generals and Admirals Battle Climate Change
Chapter 4. Melting Ice and Rising Tensions in the Arctic
Chapter 5. Drought, Oil, and Power in Africa and the Middle East
Chapter 6. Navigating Asia’s Disaster Alley
Chapter 7. Imperiled Neighbors to the South
Chapter 8. Climate Readiness on the Home Base
Chapter 9. Less Fuel, More Fight
Chapter 10. Climate-Proofing Security
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
About the Author
How is the U.S. military strategizing around climate change?
Join us for an Energy Policy Seminar featuring Sherri Goodman, senior fellow at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program and Polar Institute and former Chief Environmental Officer at the Pentagon. Drawing from her new book, Threat Multiplier, Goodman will address pressing questions at the nexus of climate change and national security: how military leaders’ thinking has evolved, what are their contingency plans, and where do they see conflict coming next.
Q&A to follow. Buffet-style lunch will be served.
Registration: RSVP required. A Harvard University ID is required for in-person attendance; all are welcome to attend via Zoom.
Recording: The seminar will be recorded and available to watch on the Belfer Center's YouTube channel. Those who register for this event will automatically receive a link to the recording as soon as it becomes available.
Accessibility: To request accommodations or who have questions about access, please contact Liz Hanlon (ehanlon@hks.harvard.edu) in advance of the session.
July 2024 marked the 14th consecutive month of record-high global temperatures and saw the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic as Hurricane Beryl swept through the Caribbean. Climate impacts are intensifying the threats faced by the U.S. military, from natural disasters to geopolitical challenges posed by Russia, China, and the Islamic State. In response, the U.S. Department of Defense is integrating climate change into its operations, including disaster relief planning, war games, and international diplomacy.
Join us at the Stimson Center for a discussion about how climate change affects military readiness, how the Pentagon has moved from being an environmental laggard to a climate leader, and how climate action can be leveraged for national security and peace.
Featured Speakers:
In person and virtual attendance available.
The Truman Center is excited to announce a virtual fireside chat with Truman Advisory Council Member, Sherri Goodman. Sherri has been one of the leading voices on climate change and national security for decades. In her new book, Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security, Sherri outlines the importance of climate and environmental issues to our national security and offers her recommendations for how the United States and our allies can advance the field of climate security during rapidly changing times. Katie MacDonald, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Tailwind and a member of the Truman National Security Project, will moderate this in-depth conversation with the Pentagon’s first Chief Environmental Officer, who helped shape the US military's transformation into a clean energy and climate leader. Truman President & CEO Tony Johnson will introduce this fireside chat that delves into today’s most pressing questions about climate change and national security.
Join Sherri Goodman, author of Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security, at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center 2024 Veterans Advanced Energy Summit at the Atlantic Council’s Headquarters. While this event has historically been held in Chicago, this year, the Atlantic Council is bringing the Summit to Washington, DC, a pivotal hub for government, military, and energy industry stakeholders alike.
This Summit has become the leading forum for senior policymakers, industry leaders, and military officials to engage in critical discussions on the intersections of energy, defense, and national security. This year’s agenda will explore themes spanning sustainability and climate considerations in national security planning, defense strategy to protect energy supply chains, and the resilience of critical infrastructure in the face of an evolving global threat landscape. Experts will also dive deep into key issues including the role of the Arctic in fortifying US energy security and geostrategic position as well as the potential for innovative energy technologies to power the future fighting force. For a full list of agenda topics, please see below.
This event is dedicated to veterans, reservists, and military spouses working to strengthen US national security through careers in the advanced energy industry. Please join us as we celebrate the vital contributions of the veteran community in building a more secure and clean energy system while strengthening our national security.
Join Threat Multiplier author Sherri Goodman at the Global Security Forum 2024 presented by The World Affairs Council of Connecticut. GSF 2024 will bring you the world’s biggest names in global security ever seen on our stage. Generals, experts, policymakers, and foreign leaders come together for cutting-edge conversations on the biggest security concerns we face and the Power Plays that will decide our future.
GSF is a critical opportunity to engage and inform our future and current leaders on the issues that impact us all - from disruptive tech to uneasy alliances and ironclad relationships. This event is not to be missed.
Across the globe, record-breaking heat waves, floods, and other climate stressors are eroding communities’ resilience, compounding conflict risks, and deepening inequality. In response, countries have committed to a global energy transition that could bring its own set of geopolitical risks. Understanding how climate change, conflict, and peace interact has therefore become a priority for countries and multilateral institutions, as reflected in the COP28 Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery, and Peace.
Join the Wilson Center, in partnership with the Center for Climate & Security, on October 1 for a dialogue with climate security pioneer Sherri Goodman, environmental journalist Peter Schwartzstein, Middle East expert Merissa Khurma, and Anne Witkowski, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, US Department of State, to unpack the impact of climate change on security risks around the globe, the evolution of US engagement on climate security, and opportunities to strengthen stability and build cooperation through climate action. The discussion will feature insights from two new books, Sherri Goodman’s Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security and Peter Schwartzstein’s The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence.
Please join the Women’s Foreign Policy Group and The Leadership Council for Women in National Security for the October installation of WFPG’s Author Talk series, showcasing novels about diverse foreign affairs subjects written by women. Sherri Goodman, Secretary General of the International Military Council on Climate & Security and a Senior Fellow at the Wilson Center will be discussing her new book, Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security.
Join the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation’s Future of Democracy initiative and program on Climate Change and Security, together with the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego, for a talk with Sherri Goodman, a globally recognized leader in environmental and climate security, on November 4, 2024 from 5:00 – 6:15 p.m.
Goodman will discuss her new book, Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security, a compelling exploration of the intersection between national security, climate change, and global stability. Drawing from her experience as the Pentagon’s first Chief Environmental Officer and as a leading expert in environmental security, Goodman will unpack how the U.S. military is confronting the biggest security risk in global history: climate change; and will explore what climate change might mean for the future of democracy.
Speaker
Sherri Goodman, senior fellow at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program and Polar Institute, and secretary general of the International Military Council on Climate & Security, is credited with educating a generation of U.S. military and government officials about the nexus between climate change and national security, using her famous coinage, “threat multiplier,” to fundamentally reshape the national discourse on the topic. Sherri serves as vice chair of the Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board and on the EXIM Bank’s Council on Climate. A former first deputy undersecretary of defense (Environmental Security) and staff member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Goodman has founded, led, or advised nearly a dozen research organizations on environmental and energy matters, national security, and public policy.
Moderators
Richard Matthew, IGCC research director for climate change and international decurity and professor of urban planning and public policy, at UC Irvine
Emilie Hafner-Burton, IGCC research director for democracy studies and professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy and the Department of Political Science at UC San Diego
Welcome to An Evening with Climate Expert and National Security Advisor Sherri Goodman! Join us for an enlightening discussion with the renowned expert on climate and national security. The event will take place at 1219 State St, where you'll have the opportunity to hear from Sherri Goodman herself. Don't miss this chance to learn from one of the leading voices in the field!
Moderated by Leah Stokes, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California Santa Barbara.
In Threat Multiplier, author Sherri Goodman reveals how the Department of Defense—once focused solely on conventional threats like the Soviet Union —has transformed into a leader in clean energy and climate resilience. From war games to disaster relief to international diplomacy to base design, the U.S. military now factors climate risk into every level of its operations.
In this Book Talk, the Pacific Council invites you to hear from Sherri Goodman as she discusses the findings of her book. The discussion will delve into three key questions:
We encourage you to read the book ahead of the event to gain deeper insights into the discussion.
Don’t miss the opportunity to hear from one of the foremost experts on climate security as she tells the remarkable story of how military leadership is taking on the fight for global survival.
Please RSVP to reserve your spot. The first ten registered members to attend the event will receive a signed copy of the book. The last day to register is Tuesday, November 5. Hosted by Pacific Council.
Sherri Goodman serves as Chair of the Board at the Council on Strategic Risks, Secretary General of the International Military Council on Climate and Security, Senior Strategist and Advisory Board member at the Center for Climate and Security, and Senior Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center’s Polar Institute and Environmental Change and Security Program. Sherri serves as Vice Chair of the Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board.
Sherri Goodman will discuss her latest book, Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security, in which she goes inside the Pentagon and onto the battlefield to show how the US military is confronting the biggest security risk in global history: climate change. This book distills more than thirty years of Goodman’s work educating a generation of US military, intelligence and government officials about the links between climate change and security. Goodman goes on a global journey to show how the US military has transformed into a clean energy and climate leader, recognizing that a warming world exacerbates every threat.
Conversation moderated by Prof. Greg Treverton, Professor of the Practice of Political Science and International Relations and Spatial Sciences at USC.
Light refreshments will be provided.
In-person participants: RSVP Here.
Virtual participants: RSVP Here.
The UC Irvine Climate and Urban Sustainability Program (CUSP) and Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at the School of Social Sciences, along with the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, present Sherri Goodman, author of Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security.
Goodman, who will discuss the ways climate change affects military readiness and national security, is a senior fellow at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program and Polar Institute and secretary general of the International Military Council on Climate and Security.
Food is provided at this event.
The event is presented by CUSP, CGPCS and IGCC.
Read Chapter 1: From Weapons to Waste below or download it here.
In a new op-ed published in collaboration with Island Press, Sherri Goodman (author of Threat Multiplier) spotlights how the U.S. military has become an example of the steady progress that can occur when the government takes climate change seriously.
She writes:
As some politicians continue to argue about the economic impacts of climate legislation or question the imminent nature of climate threats — in September former President Trump called climate change a “scam” — the U.S. military has reorganized itself around the knowledge that climate change poses an unprecedented risk to national security. It has integrated climate preparedness into many dimensions of planning and operations. This includes not just deployments for humanitarian assistance and disaster response, but also gaming out the geostrategic impacts of the evolving climate, making adaptations to military training, building resilience into installations and shifting to alternative energy sources to improve military effectiveness.
Read the full piece in Politico HERE.