Chapter 4 for Powering America’s Defense: Energy and the Risks to National Security

A group of retired military officers warned in a new report that the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and a fragile electricity grid poses security and military risks for the... (More) A group of retired military officers warned in a new report that the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and a fragile electricity grid poses security and military risks for the United States.

“U.S. dependence on oil weakens international leverage, undermines foreign policy objectives, and entangles America with unstable or hostile regimes,” the authors wrote. Fossil fuel dependence also threatens the nation’s economic stability and saddles the military with financial and logistical burdens. And the nation’s “outdated, fragile, and overtaxed national electrical grid is a dangerously weak link in the national security infrastructure,” the report said.

On the battlefield, the military’s energy use is “the antithesis of efficiency: only a fraction of the fuel is used to deliver lethal force.” The “tether of fuel” burdens American forces in Afghanistan, “where 3-mile fuel convoys are exposed as they crawl along dangerous mountainous routes.” Forward operating bases run on generators powered by “the same vulnerable supply chain that provides liquid fuel for motorized vehicles,” and troops on 72-hour patrols in Afghanistan carry 26 pounds of batteries charged by those generators, indications of what the report termed the “electrification of combat.”

The report warned against using the current economic crisis as an excuse to delay changes to the nation’s energy posture. “The economic risks of this energy posture are also security risks,” the report said. “President Obama, Congress, and major utilities, among others, are discussing an upgrade of the national electrical grid for a variety of reasons. We add our voice to this discussion with a singular perspective: we see that our national security is directly linked to the security and reliability of our system of energy production and delivery.”

Looking ahead, the report also warned of the “converging national security risks of energy demand and climate change … Destabilization driven by ongoing climate change has the potential to add significantly to the mission burden of the U.S. military in fragile regions of the world.”

“Americans made clear sacrifices during World War II for reasons that are obvious in hindsight: they understood the stakes, and they were asked. With this report, we have tried to make known the current stakes by clearly articulating the need to establish energy security and plan for the effects of climate change. This will require a commitment to conservation and a willingness to reconsider old ways. It will require discipline and the broadest participation possible. All of us have a role to play in making our nation more secure.” (Less)

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