Pentagon, Service Agencies Working to Enhance Security, Save
Money and Reduce Emissions

 

WASHINGTON, USA - The U.S.Department
of Defense has initiated ambitious clean energy programs in service
of economic, security and enviro nmental goals according to
“Reenergizing America’s Defense,” a report released by the Pew
Project on National Security, Energy and Climate.

The report describes efforts by the U.S. military - whose usage
accounts for nearly 80 percent of the U.S. government’s energy
consumption - to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and cut global
warming pollution by enhancing energy efficiency and harnessing
clean energy technologies.  



“National security experts have been clear in their warnings -
America’s dependence on foreign sources of energy constitutes a
threat - militarily, diplomatically and economically,” said Phyllis
Cuttino, director of Pew’s climate and energy programs. “But, the
department is doing more than sounding an alarm; it has enacted
energy goals and is inventing, testing and deploying new
technologies and alternative fuels to meet those goals. The
military is, in many respects, leading the way and helping to
reenergize America’s future.”



United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates
has identified energy as one of the department’s top-25
transformational priorities and the armed forces - including the
Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps - have undertaken specific
initiatives to save energy, mitigate climate change and reduce
costs. The military is investigating and implementing energy-saving
measures in all facets of its operations, both at home and abroad,
including housing, vehicles, fuels, weapons, supplies and
transmission grids.



Overall, the Department of Defense has set a goal of producing or
procuring 25 percent of its electric energy needs from renewable
sources by 2025. Some specific initiatives by the armed services
featured in the report include:

• The U.S. Navy is developing a “green” carrier strike group to
  run completely on alternative fuels by 2016.  (On April 22,
  the U.S. Navy demonstrated the ‘Green Hornet’, an F/A-18 Super Hornet powered
  by a 50/50 biofuel blend at Naval Air Station Patuxent River,
  Maryland);
  
  
  
  



• The U.S. Army is developing a 500-megawatt solar power
  generation plant in Fort Irwin, California that will help power the
  base and reduce the base’s vulnerability to power supply
  disruptions. Named a ‘Net-Zero Plus installation’, the Army hopes
  to free the base entirely from reliance on the public electric grid
  within the next decade;
  
  
  
  



• The U.S. Air Force has a goal of meeting 25 percent of base
  energy needs with renewable energy sources by 2025; and
  
  
  
  



• The U.S. Marine Corps has launched the 10X10 campaign aimed at
  reducing energy intensity, water consumption and increasing the use
  of renewable electric energy.

“The stakes could not be higher,” said Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.
“Energy reform will make us better fighters. In the end, it is a
matter of energy independence and it is a matter of national
security. Our dependence on foreign sources of petroleum makes us
vulnerable in too many ways. The stakes are clear and the stakes
are high. Our response has to be equal to that challenge.”



With an annual energy budget of approximately $20 billion, the
Defense Department incurs more than $1.3 billion in additional
energy costs for every $10 increase per barrel rise in the world
market price of oil. In addition to vulnerability to price
fluctuations, the department’s reliance on fossil fuels also
compromises combat effectiveness by restricting mobility,
flexibility and endurance on the battlefield. Transportation of
fuel to the combat theater is a significant vulnerability as fuel
convoys are targets in Iraq and Afghanistan.



“Today’s military leaders clearly understand that
forward-looking approaches to energy and climate can save American
lives and money as well as reduce emissions,” said Cuttino. “This
leadership and ingenuity of the military must be mirrored by
Congress and the Administration. If we are going to seize the
opportunity presented by the emerging clean energy economy, we need
a strong policy framework that puts a price on carbon, invests in
energy innovation and helps deploy low-cost, low-carbon energy
sources to help strengthen our nation’s security, economy and
environment.”



“It is the forward-deployed soldier, airman, sailor, or Marine who
is truly aware of the critical implications of energy usage from
the tactical all the way to the strategic level,” said Amanda J.
Dory, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Strategy). “This
awareness stems from first-hand knowledge of both the logistical
vulnerabilities associated with energy intensive operations and the
resource scarcities that stress vulnerable populations and
governance capacity.” 



Defense and intelligence experts have found that situations of
instability can worsen from the impacts of climate change as water
and food supplies decline, storm intensity increases, agricultural
patterns are disrupted and migration increases due to conflict or
resource shortages.  In February 2010, the department’s four
year strategic planning document, the Quadrennial Defense Review,
for the first time officially recognized climate change as a key
issue playing a significant role in shaping the future security
environment. It declared “Climate change… may act as an accelerant
of instability or conflict, placing a burden to respond on civilian
institutions and militaries around the world.” 



“Throughout history, the men and
women of the Armed Forces have been among the first to respond to
situations abroad to provide humanitarian relief, to help a nation
maintain its sovereignty or to provide support in times of severe
shortages of basic human necessities,” said former U.S. Senator
John W. Warner.

“The Department of Defense has been an engine of innovation,
pioneering development of cutting edge technologies such as the
internet and global positioning systems. Building on this record,
the department will continue to help the United States develop and
deploy the clean energy technologies our nation and our troops need
to be safe, secure and prosperous in the future.”

The full report href=”http://pewclimatesec-cdn-remembers.s3.amazonaws.com/172e73107e0952fd86378269bdeb62f6.pdf”
title=”Reenergizing America’s Defense” class=”pdf”>Reenergizing
America’s Defense  (PDF) is available here. An Executive
Summary and individual Sections are available href=”http://www.pewclimatesecurity.org/reenergizing-americas-defense/”
target=”_blank”>here.



The Pew Project on National Security, Energy and Climate is an
initiative of the Pew Environment Group, and is dedicated to
highlighting the critical linkages between national security,
energy independence, the economy and climate change. The Pew
Project brings together science and military experts to examine new
strategies for combating climate change, protecting our national
security, increasing our energy independence and preserving our
nation’s natural resources.