As a Royal Navy ships returns from coming under attack in the Middle East ministers have been told to ‘get a grip’ over an idea to make sailors take online courses on the effect of defence on the environment.
The bizarre idea comes from a leaked document which said it is “exploring opportunities” of forcing Royal Navy personnel to take postgraduate courses on “climate change and most importantly its relevance to defence”.
The net zero jargon has been revealed in a week when thousands turned out in Portsmouth to watch the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales leave for exercises in the Baltic as the threat of war with Russia looms.
And on Saturday HMS Diamond arrived in safer waters around Gibraltar bearing fresh ‘kill marks’ on her hull signifying how the crew had to defend themselves against Houthi rebel missiles and drone attacks in the Red Sea.
Speaking to the Telegraph which has brought the plans to light, Andrew Montford, director of the Net ZeroWatch think tank, said the Defence Secretary Grant Shapps “needs to get a grip” of the situation.
He told the paper: “Net zero zealots will sacrifice anything and everything to their irrational faith, economic security and energy security have already been tossed aside, so it’s no surprise to see national security taking a back seat as well.”
However, Admiral Lord West, the former First Sea Lord, told the paper he broadly supports training in climate change but that it was not more important than “fighting the King’s enemies”.
He added that it could work as long as “one does not go stupid”.
Family members and supporters cheered off the HMS Prince of Wales as it departed for the largest Nato maritime exercise in 40 years on Monday.
The Royal Navy aircraft carrier’s journey had been postponed at the last moment on Sunday as it was about to set sail to replace its sister ship which was forced to cancel its own deployment a week ago.
The fleet flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth had been expected to depart from Portsmouth Naval Base last Sunday to lead the largest Nato exercise since the Cold War, involving more than 40 vessels.
Despite being tasked principally with defending the nation, the Armed Forces have been placed under the Government’s Net Zero targets by 2050.
A Royal Navy spokesman said: “The Royal Navy has a long history of conservation and sustainability and as mariners, we appreciate the vital importance of the sea to our nation and as a source of life for the planet.
“That’s why the Integrated Review and the Defence Command Paper outlines how climate change presents challenges for our security. This activity is part of how we understand and address the issues we face.”
