[Zach_the_Lizard]

Destroying the environment is half of what the military does during wartime. So long as we have militaries, it's hard to see a future where we're not burning cities, bombing bridges and other critical infrastructure, and driving around highly environmentally unfriendly tanks, planes, and warships.

[knowaveragejoe]

Well, to be fair, the military is also the largest and most capable humanitarian organization at the disposal of the world's governments. To think their sole purpose is destruction for the sake of destruction is also a bit of an oversimplification, peacekeeping is a useful role as well.

[dajohnson89]

Yet often, military humanitarian missions are in relief to atrocities caused by... other militaries.

[knowaveragejoe]

Sure. They're also the first to respond to natural disasters.

[dajohnson89]

That's more likely to be the National Guard or something like that. Which is military indeed, but not the same type of military that we're talking about here.

[knowaveragejoe]

The National Guard is as equipped to kill as any element of the regular military. NG units have served in combat roles in pick-a-conflict-in-recent-memory.

That's just the US, of course. Pick a natural disaster anywhere in the world - the military(or militaries) of the region are the first to respond and form the basis of the relief efforts thereafter.

[usefulcat]

Sole purpose, no; primary purpose, definitely.