On 5 June 2025, Hannah Lentschig, Research Fellow at the Clingendael Institute and PSI Project Leader, participated in the 17th edition of The Hague Roundtable on Climate & Security, co-organized and hosted by the British Embassy in The Hague.
The roundtable convened over 50 stakeholders from embassies, NGOs, ministries, research-education institutes, civil society, and the private sector to discuss “Energy Security and Climate Cooperation in a Geopolitical Context of Increased Defense Readiness.”
At the roundtable, Hannah facilitated a breakout group on energy security, in which participants explored the strategic intersection between increasing defense spending, clean transition goals and the secure supply of energy and critical resources.
Our discussions focused on how these substantial investments in defense could be used to drive innovation in energy and clean technologies, particularly across shared supply chains.
The financial resources that are currently made available for investments in defense and industrial programs need to be allocated efficiently and structurally, which necessitates first a clear of assessment of what is needed, and where.
While participants were critical of the feasibility of electrifying core military assets (“there won’t be tanks running on batteries soon”), they noted that innovation around energy infrastructure and technologies such as hydrogen, battery storage systems or offshore wind could offer logistical benefits and supply security advantages, both in military and nonmilitary contexts.
Key points of interest convergence between defense and energy security agendas were identified, including:
- Defense-led investments in more decentralized fuel supply systems and low-carbon production and storage technologies can enhance both military and civil preparedness by reducing the logistical footprint and operational vulnerability of critical infrastructure around energy and electricity.
- Defense-led demand for alternative energy supplies and low-carbon energy technologies (e.g. hydrogen, biofuels) can create lead markets that drive innovation and bring down the cost of adoption, enhancing energy resilience and reducing exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets.
- Defense-led procurement can play a catalytic role in diversifying supplies of critical minerals and securing mid- and downstream value chain segments (refining and processing) around key materials that are essential both for military assets and clean technologies.
The session emphasized that defense and decarbonization agendas are not inherently at odds but share critical interests and key strategic objectives along the climate-security nexus.
At the same time, participants discussed several critical challenges and risks. One major risk concerns resource exploitation and governance issues; there is a pressing concern about potential for unregulated or exploitative extraction of critical raw materials in the rush to secure supply chains. Interlinked with potential instability around mineral extraction is the broader geopolitical challenge of managing one-sided dependencies due to highly concentrated supply chains, and the impact of export restrictions for certain materials and mining technologies on global markets. Another key challenge is financing: the high cost/risk associated with investments in clean technology adoption in the defense sector pose financing challenges. Questions were raised on who should bear initial costs, and how to create the right incentives for first movers.
The report, compiled and edited by Matt Luna, Organizer and Founder of The Hague Roundtable on Climate & Security, comprises a summary of the breakout discussions alongside other participants' observations, commentaries and insights. Read the full report here.
Photo credits: The Hague Roundtable on Climate & Security.