Revealed: NATO downplays climate and gender language to appease Trump

BRUSSELS — NATO staff are watering down language around climate, gender and diversity as a precaution to avoid retaliation by the Trump administration, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Phrases dealing with climate, women and security have been rephrased in new NATO legislation drafted by its committees and working groups with language thought to be more acceptable to the U.S. as the alliance faces an uncertain future during Donald Trump's second term in the White House.

The new administration has gone on the warpath against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, trying to block funding for universities and stripping federal programs that incorporate the measures. It is also purging the Pentagon to eradicate all vestiges of such programs.

“Everyone sees on the news where the Trump admin stands; you don’t want to do anything that shoots yourself in the foot," one official said.

"Green technologies” have allegedly been replaced with “innovative technologies,” while “climate” has been labeled an “operational environment,” another NATO official said. The officials were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive issues.

Meanwhile, any language around "gender" or "women, peace and security" is being avoided by officials who want to get things passed by all 32 member countries, including the U.S.

“Everyone knows that the worst thing you can do is present it as a diversity issue,” said one of the officials. “It’s not a woke agenda, it's part of a military agenda, and now more people are pricking up their ears to make sure it is spoken about in military terms.”

NATO has climate advisers who mostly advise military staff on environmental challenges during times of war, such as extreme temperatures that may affect personnel capacity or impact equipment. So far they've been left unscathed.

Trump has announced that Europe needs to end its “freeloading” on the U.S. and start paying more for defense. He has also pushed to increase the alliance's defense spending target to 5 percent of GDP from the current goal of at least 2 percent — but at the same time has undermined the alliance's common defense provisions by threatening to abandon allies he thinks aren't spending enough on their militaries.

On Tuesday the administration proposed cutting funding to the State Department by 48 percent, which would affect funding for NATO's internal budget, the United Nations and 20 other international organizations.