In “Threat Multiplier,” author Sherri Goodman reveals how the Department of Defense—once focused solely on conventional threats like the Soviet Union —has transformed into a leader in clean energy and climate resilience. From war games to disaster relief to international diplomacy to base design, the U.S. military now factors climate risk into every level of its operations.

In this Book Talk, the Pacific Council invites you to hear from Sherri Goodman as she discusses the findings of her book. The discussion will delve into three key questions:

• How is climate change reshaping global security and defense planning?
• What sparked this shift in military strategy?
• What challenges and opportunities lie ahead for safeguarding our national defense and our planet?

We encourage you to read the book ahead of the event to gain deeper insights into the discussion.

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear from one of the foremost experts on climate security as she tells the remarkable story of how military leadership is taking on the fight for global survival.

Please RSVP to reserve your spot. The first ten registered members to attend the event will receive a signed copy of the book. The last day to register is Tuesday, November 5.

About Threat Multiplier

Threat Multiplier takes us onto the battlefield and inside the Pentagon to show how the US military is confronting one of the biggest security threats in global history: climate change. More than thirty years ago, when Sherri Goodman became the Pentagon’s first Chief Environmental Officer, no one would have imagined this role for our armed forces.

Indeed, for much of the twentieth century, the Department of Defense (DOD) was better known for containing the Soviet nuclear threat than protecting the environment. And yet, today, the military has moved from an environmental laggard to a clean energy and climate leader, recognizing that a warming world exacerbates every threat—from hurricanes and forest fires to competition for increasingly scarce food and water to terrorism and power plays by Russia and China. The Pentagon now considers climate in war games, disaster relief planning, international diplomacy, and even the design of its own bases.

What was the key to this dramatic change in military thinking? What keeps today’s generals and admirals up at night? How can we safeguard our national defense and our planet? No one is better poised to answer these questions than Sherri Goodman, who was at the vanguard of environmental leadership among our armed forces and civilian representatives. In Threat Multiplier, she tells the inside story of the military’s fight for global security, a tale that is as hopeful as it is harrowing.

Guest Speaker

Sherri Goodman, Senior Fellow at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program and Polar Institute, and Secretary General of the International Military Council on Climate & Security, is credited with educating a generation of US military and government officials about the nexus between climate change and national security, using her famous coinage, “threat multiplier,” to fundamentally reshape the national discourse on the topic. Goodman serves as Vice Chair of the Secretary of State's International Security Advisory Board and on the EXIM Bank's Council on Climate. A former first Deputy Undersecretary of Defense (Environmental Security) and staff member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Goodman has founded, led, or advised nearly a dozen research organizations on environmental and energy matters, national security, and public policy.

Presider

Stephen Ryan is the Director & Chief Engineer for Multi-Domain Solutions in Northrop Grumman's Strategic Space Systems Division, where he specializes in advanced satellite architectures supporting air-space integration. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Ryan was a decorated intelligence analyst with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), where he specialized in terrorism analysis focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan, with multiple deployments supporting U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF).  He is the co-author of "Activity-Based Intelligence: Principles and Applications," is the two-time recipient of the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award and has also received the NATO Medal, the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terror, the National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation, and the National Intelligence Professionals Award for Intelligence Integration. 

Ryan also serves in the leadership of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Truman National Security Project and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).