Net Zero Militaries (NETZMIL): Retaining Operational Effectiveness in a Low Carbon World

国防是世界上最大的碳氢化合物消费机构。在英国，国防部门约占中央政府温室气体排放量的50%。2021年，为了应对公民社会和国防工业日益增长的压力，英国国防部(MOD)和北约都认识到，军事行动的碳成本需要降低。然而，学者和政策制定者尚未真正解决“净零”野心对未来军事行动性质的影响。NETZMIL旨在评估英国政府的净零野心对军事行动的实际和潜在影响。该项目是通过与英国国防和北约的关键利益相关者协商共同设计的。以英国为例，NETZMIL将阐明围绕军队如何在支持向净零世界过渡的同时保持作战效率的关键问题、挑战和机遇。为了实现NETZMIL的总体目标，该项目询问：(1)英国政府的净零目标已经在多大程度上影响了英国的国防政策、战略和行动；(2)在整个英国国防领域，净零军事行动对作战效率产生的关键问题、机会和挑战是什么；以及(3)采用净零军事行动方法可能如何与塑造未来军事行动特征的其他关键趋势相互作用？NETZMIL将在战争研究和气候安全研究的学术领域做出新的贡献，引起人们对向NETZMIL过渡可能影响未来军事行动特征的关注。到目前为止，学术研究往往集中在气候变化是否可能成为战争的原因，或者它可能如何直接影响军事行动。NETZMIL的发现将通过3篇重要的期刊文章以及在3个研究研讨会和2个学术会议上的陈述向学术受众传达。这一发现还将成为一项出版计划的依据。为了使非学术用户受益，NETZMIL将产生关于“净零”军事行动的机会和挑战的新知识。这一知识将通过一系列3个研讨会、私人简报和简短评论在英国国防、北约和更广泛的国际社会中传播。NETZMIL还将促进创建一个国际从业者社区(学术和非学术)，该社区将利用该项目产生的调查结果和见解，指导未来关于国内和国际政策、战略和学说的决策。该项目采用了创新和探索性的定性方法，采用了半结构化访谈和焦点小组，参与者来自英国国防部，以及来自北约等组织的国际专家和从业人员。

Defence is the single largest institutional consumer of hydrocarbons in the world. In the UK, the defence sector accounts for approximately 50% of central government greenhouse gas emissions. In 2021, responding to growing pressure from civil society and defence industry, both the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and NATO recognised that the carbon cost of military operations needed to fall. However, academics and policymakers have yet to meaningfully address the implications of 'Net Zero' ambitions for the future character of military operations. NETZMIL aims to assess the actual and potential impact of the UK Government's Net Zero ambitions on military operations. The project has been co-designed through consultations with key stakeholders from across UK Defence and NATO. Using the UK as a case study, NETZMIL will illuminate key concerns, challenges and opportunities around how militaries in general can retain operational effectiveness whilst supporting the transition to a Net Zero world. To meet NETZMIL's overall aim, the project asks: (1) to what extent have the British Government's Net Zero targets already influenced UK defence policy, strategy and operations; (2) across UK Defence, what are the key concerns, opportunities and challenges for operational effectiveness arising from Net Zero military operations; and (3) how might adopting a Net Zero approach to military operations interact with other key trends shaping the future character of military operations? NETZMIL will make novel contributions to the scholarly fields of War Studies and Climate Security Studies by drawing attention to the ways in which the transition to Net Zero could impact the future character of military operations. Up to now, scholarly inquiry has tended to focus on whether climate change could be a cause of war or how it is likely to directly impact military operations. NETZMIL's findings will be communicated to academic audiences through 3 substantial journal articles, as well as presentations at 3 research seminars and 2 academic conferences. The findings will also inform a book proposal. To benefit non-academic users, NETZMIL will generate new knowledge regarding the opportunities and challenges of 'Net Zero' military operations. This knowledge will be disseminated across UK Defence, NATO and the wider international community through a series of 3 workshops, private briefings and short commentaries. NETZMIL will also facilitate the creation of an international community of practitioners (academic and non-academic) that will draw upon the findings and insights generated by the project to guide future decisions about policy, strategy and doctrine, nationally and internationally. The project adopts an innovative and exploratory qualitative methodological approach, drawing on semi-structured interviews and focus groups with participants from UK Defence, as well as international experts and practitioners from organisations such as NATO.