National Security and Climate Change: Behind the U.S. Pursuit of Military Exemptions to the Kyoto Protocol

National Security and Climate Change: Behind the U.S. Pursuit of Military Exemptions to the Kyoto Protocol is a briefing book compiled by the National Security Archive and released on January twentieth, two thousand twenty‑two. It is notable because it reveals internal discussions of how the Pentagon sought to carve out exemptions for military operations during the 1997 Kyoto climate negotiations, a topic that resurfaces as the United States formulates contemporary climate policy. The document was made public through a release on The Black Vault website, uploaded on January twentieth, two thousand twenty‑two. The posting cites the National Security Archive as the declassifying authority, and the material was originally prepared as Briefing Book number seven hundred eighty‑four, edited by Burkely Hermann. The release includes a downloadable PDF and a plain‑text transcription. The briefing book opens with a concise summary: “Pentagon insistence, lodged over State Department concerns, drove strong U.S. push to exclude military operations from climate treaty.” It continues, “Kyoto experience presents parallels as Biden administration faces challenges on climate policy.” The first substantive paragraph reads: “Washington, D.C., January twentieth, two thousand twenty‑two — Pentagon demands for military exemptions during the 1997 Kyoto climate negotiations posed a substantial challenge for the Clinton administration both internally and with American allies, according to a collection of declassified internal papers posted today by the nongovernmental National Security Archive. The Defense Department proposal created rifts with other federal agencies and American negotiators in Kyoto had to wrestle to convince other countries to agree to exempt specific military operations from emissions requirements. Still, some governments willingly agreed with the idea and openly supported it. Ultimately, the Pentagon’s basic wishes were included as part of the Kyoto accord.” The book then details the internal dynamics. It notes that “President Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright confer during the Wye River Plenary Session in October nineteen ninety‑eight. Albright strongly favored national security exemptions at the Kyoto negotiations, and later affirmed that the Pentagon’s aims in Kyoto had been achieved.” It records a statement from Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Environmental Security Sherri W. Goodman in early October nineteen ninety‑seven, asserting that the protocol would harm “military readiness,” with serious implications for training, operations, and fuel use. Goodman attached a proposed national security waiver to her memorandum, which State Department officials heard “loud and clear.” The briefing book also records the language proposed by Secretary Albright: she “wanted to explore the idea as it related to supporting peacekeeping and military readiness,” acknowledging that “much of the federal government’s energy consumption came from the military,” yet arguing that NATO operations would not be compromised by greenhouse gas limitations because “it would be hard to calculate emissions.” She suggested that fellow NATO members be asked to support the exemptions. Further, the text identifies the U.S. delegation members who advocated the exemptions. It states that “Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Environmental Security Sherri W. Goodman gave a speech to the National Defense University in August nineteen ninety‑six, emphasizing the Pentagon’s new focus on ‘environmental security,’ concluding that ‘environmental degradation or scarcity’ could interact with other factors and ‘cause instability and conflict’ in parts of the world.” It also notes that the United States “was the only delegation at Kyoto that had two military officers as representatives on its team,” naming Christopher E. Weaver, executive officer to the director for logistics for the Joint Staff, and Roy K. Salomon, a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel on Deputy Secretary of Defense John P. White’s staff. The briefing book records the diplomatic outreach: “Delegates from Australia and New Zealand expressed cautious interest, with the Australian military considering it an issue and wanting continued dialogue, while New Zealand saw merit in the proposal.” The U.S. delegation, led by Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs Stuart E. Eizenstat, later supplied a statement calling for a national security or national emergency provision, hoping that other delegates would consider how emissions requirements could affect military forces, training, and peacekeeping operations. The final sections of the document connect the historical record to present concerns, observing that “These documents have particular relevance as the Biden administration advances its climate change policy and the Pentagon commits to climate adaptation measures.” It underscores that the exemptions secured in Kyoto “exempted emissions from international operations authorized by the United Nations or those described as in accordance with the UN Charter, and bunker fuels