Demilitarize for a Just Transition

Abstract

The assertion that the U. S. military will lead the nation and world toward a decarbonized future fails to withstand critique, yet such wishful thinking continues to inspire supportive narratives that position the military as a key player in an energy transition. This chapter examines the relationship of militarism and environmental destruction and the need to overcome militarism through a just transition. As a major contributor to ecological catastrophe and the harm to workers and communities worldwide, the U. S. military can and must be repurposed to advance a just and ecological future. In assessing the barriers that the military poses for achieving a just transition, the historical and contemporary alternatives to militarization of public service, and the possibilities for a transformed set of demilitarized and integrated civil institutions, the chapter offers a vision of decarbonization through demilitarization, with significant implications for a just and ecological transition locally, nationally, and globally.