How is climate change redefining security narratives? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with General Tom Middendorp, former Chief of Defence for the Netherlands and author of Climate General, about what’s at stake when we talk about climate security; how the defence sector is evolving to address climate risk, from net zero paths to disaster relief missions; and why the military’s level of readiness, resilience and redundancy offers compelling lessons for how to tackle climate change.

General (Ret.) Tom Middendorp

General (Ret.) Tom Middendorp was the Chief of Defence for the Netherlands from 2012 to 2017 in a military career spanning 38 years, and the author of a new book, Climate General. He commanded soldiers on all levels, led a large multinational taskforce in the south of Afghanistan and was involved in over twenty different military missions as the Director of Operations. As the Chief of Defence for the Netherlands, General Middendorp led the Defence organisation through an intense period of transition and international cooperation. He joined the Clingendael Institute as a Senior Research Associate and is Chairman of the International Military Council on Climate and Security. He is also the Netherlands’ Special Envoy on European Defence Cooperation and a Senior Advisor in the areas of security, defence and strategic leadership.