The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) said on March 7 that it would scrap 91 social science studies, including those on climate change, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said are not among the Pentagon’s priorities.
The studies cover topics ranging from climate change impacts and global migration patterns to social trends. The DOD said discontinuing them would save the government more than $30 million in the first year.
The canceled studies include research titles such as “Social and Institutional Determinants of Vulnerability and Resilience to Climate Hazards in the African Sahel” and “Food Fights: War Narratives and Identity Reproduction in Evolving Conflicts.”
“By focusing on the most impactful technologies, the Department is ensuring the U.S. military remains the most powerful and advanced fighting force in the world,” the DOD said.
Hegseth said the DOD’s priority does not include climate change, as he backed Pentagon spokesman John Ulyot’s comment to CNN that “climate zealotry and other woke chimeras of the left” are not part of the Pentagon’s mission.
Military and intelligence officials have in the past identified potential security threats from climate change that include natural disasters in densely populated coastal areas and damage to U.S. military bases worldwide.
The DOD said it aims to invest in key areas such as “hypersonic weapons development, AI-powered systems for enhanced battlefield awareness, and strengthening the domestic military industrial base.”
The DOD plans to review the budget drawn up by the previous administration and develop a list of potential savings that could be “realigned from low-impact and low-priority Biden-legacy programs,” according to a statement from Robert Salesses, who is performing the duties of the deputy defense secretary.
Salesses said that “excessive bureaucracy” and programs targeting climate change or other programs such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives would be targeted.
“The offsets are targeted at 8 [percent] of the Biden administration’s FY26 budget, totaling around $50 billion, which will then be spent on programs aligned with President Trump’s priorities,” Salesses said.
For instance, Parnell said the U.S. Air Force allocated $1.9 million for “holistic DEI transformation and training,” $6 million went to the University of Montana to “strengthen American democracy,” and $1.6 million went to the University of Florida to study “social and institutional detriment of vulnerability in resilience to climate hazards in African Sahel.”
Parnell said that the DOD is working “hand in glove” with DOGE to identify programs to pare back, with more cuts coming.
Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 renaming the existing U.S. Digital Service as DOGE and tasking it with reviewing federal agencies for potential workforce downsizing and cost reductions. The order states that DOGE’s work is expected to be completed by July 4, 2026.
