The United States military is the largest institutional consumer of fossil fuels in the world, but until recently accurate data on its fuel consumption were not widely available. Using Freedom of Information Act requests, we compiled data on how much fuel the US military consumes and calculated its ‘carbon bootprint.’ We explain how the US military’s expansive and coupled global logistical networks, hardware, and interventionist foreign policy paradigms help to ‘lock-in’ future military emissions. Even though they are well-intentioned, calls to ‘green’ the military are insufficient to rein in military emissions. Instead, the scope of the US military must be dramatically scaled back as part of any serious initiative to maintain a safer climate.