Rockford Sun

The environment is a major component of U.S. national security policy says Rod Schoonover, an independent expert on national security.

“Environmentalist and scientists should participate in this conversation and so should generals, admirals and secretaries of defense and secretaries of states,” Schoonover, a senior fellow and member of the advisory board of the Council on Strategic Risks, told the Rockford Sun.

When natural resources, such as water, forest, and food are threatened, instability often follows, Schoonover said. That can contribute to crime, disease and terrorism, and, ultimately, could require U.S. military action.

Rod Schoonover

“Having a blind spot to state fragility historically comes back to bite us,” he said. “The connection between natural system degradation and political and social instability is something I think a lot about.”

Environmental problems can lead to increased migration, which can destabilize entire regions, he said.

While U.S. politicians may disagree on many aspects of the environmental agenda, the connection between the environment and national security is a truly bipartisan issue, Schoonover said.

“There has long been both Democratic and Republican support in both Congress and the executive branch to support this,” he said. “Really, I think it’s more than just protection of natural resources. It’s also going after the illegal activities such as illegal logging and illegal fishing.”

Congress can address some of those abuses with legislative changes but also with funding for enforcement programs.

“U.S. funding has gone directly into dismantling of smuggling networks, in terms of ivory, in terms of rosewood, rhino horn,” he said. “You take money out of the international criminal networks."

There is considerable overlap between the environmental criminal networks and funding of insurgents, said Schoonover, a former U.S. State Department analyst. U.S. grants are often used by other countries to train people who then train law enforcement officers in how to spot smuggling operations, he noted.

Water management is another crucial area since it directly affects food supplies.

“The connection between water scarcity and political instability is pretty significant,” Schoonover said.

These grants account for a tiny fraction of the U.S. budget but can yield huge returns, particularly when compared to the cost of military action, which could be the result if the U.S. ignored the problems, he concluded.