Climate change, with its economic and security implications, is one of the greatest threats facing humanity now and in the future.

Therefore, the global community has begun to pay attention to what is known as "energy transition policies." Energy transition refers to significantly diminishing the role of oil, natural gas, and coal in global energy usage and replacing them with clean renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy for various uses.

This does not stop at the borders of industry, tourism, or various economic activities in life, but has extended to the ministries of defense in all countries, or what can be called: "green armies."

Green armies mean "the shift towards the use of eco friendly and renewable energy sources", by seeking to make strategic changes in the structure of armies and moving towards building systems that reduce reliance on weapons that increase carbon emissions, in addition to relying on clean energy sources to provide the energy needs of armies, as well as the shift in armies' strategies and moving from the doctrine of confronting traditional threats, and placing non-traditional threats and the phenomenon of climate change at the top of their priorities.

Why now?

The war in Ukraine has prompted European armies to confirm the need to quickly abandon fossil fuels, not out of concern about their major climate impact, but to avoid being held hostage by supplies controlled by Russia as well as rising energy prices.

A report by "Politico" quoted Dr. Constantinos Hadjisavvas, Project Manager for EU-funded programs at the European Defense Agency, a body affiliated with the European Union, saying that there is a real interest for armies to become more flexible in the field of energy. Yana Popkostova, director of the UK-based Centre for Energy and Geopolitical Analysis, said the continent’s reliance on Russian supplies of natural gas and refined petroleum products such as diesel underscores the enormous risk of relying on fossil fuel-based supply chains for military operations.

Fossil fuels

At last year’s Munich Security Conference, the US, EU and NATO said they were drafting a new plan to wean their militaries off fossil fuels, with a joint pledge expected this spring.

This plan and strategy are not the first time militaries have turned to renewables. Benjamin Naimark, a lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, points out that the US Navy launched an initiative called the “Green Fleet,” which was announced during the Iraq war and aimed to use biofuels for warships. The US military has also approved a plan to boost renewables in Afghanistan to reduce its reliance on imported fuels because of the risks.

Naimark said that relying on fossil fuel infrastructure poses many problems and risks, as Politico reported. This transformation is evident in innovative renewable energy solutions already deployed on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Solar panels

Olga Michelot, based in Brussels, BE, is currently a Co-Founder at Helios Strategia - Solar Group. She explains that the company turned its operations in the Dnipropetrovsk region of south-eastern Ukraine to military production at the start of the conflict, building 300-kilowatt solar panels that are used to provide backup power for radios, lighting and portable devices for air defence systems.

Their biggest advantage, she says, is that they operate silently and thus attract little attention, unlike conventional generators.

This is not the first time that armies have turned to renewable energy, as they have already invested in a number of new technologies, including a lithium-ion battery-powered power management system that can be installed in combat vehicles to make them quieter and allow them to extract energy from the sun.

The company, which has contracts with several EU governments, has recently begun offering a new tactical thermal sight powered by lithium batteries that can detect targets in infrared and weighs 2.5kg, three times lighter than conventional sights.

The Dutch military is also testing the use of solar-powered drones, as well as canvas tents equipped with solar panels.