Addressing U.S. Energy Security at Naval War College (Video)

Recent news coverage has focused on how the massive energy demands on our military and defense infrastructure threaten our national security and drain the U.S. defense budget.

In fact, The U.S Department of Defense is the single largest consumer of energy on the planet, using roughly 70 percent of our federal government’s energy, costing over $13 billion.

Rising costs (not only the price per barrel but the human costs incurred transporting fuel for battlefield use) are motivating the pentagon to look at new ways to power the military on renewable energy. The DoD has recognized that decreasing military reliance on fossil fuels on traditional fuel sources and making operations more energy efficient will make our military more flexible, agile and powerful, and is leading a number of research and implementation efforts.

This week at the U.S. Naval War College’s forum on energy and national security, experts agreed that the nation’s dependence on oil puts our country on shaky ground.

But Amory Lovins was optimistic as he outlined for a packed house how the nation could shift from oil and coal to efficiency and renewables by 2050, a strategy (and forthcoming book) RMI calls Reinventing Fire. While this transition is mostly led by the business sector, it will be greatly facilitated by the military.

Amory’s Keynote address kicked off the Forum on June 7. June 8, the second keynote address was delivered by the Honorable Ray Mabus, U.S. Secretary of the Navy and former Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the Clinton Administration.

Watch the Video