Powering America’s Defense: Energy and Risks to National Security
America’s energy posture constitutes a serious and urgent threat to national security — militarily, diplomatically and economically, according to a blue-ribbon panel of top-ranking retired admirals and generals.
In a report released today entitled “Powering America’s Defense: Energy and Risks to National Security” the military leaders warn that continuing business as usual is perilous and recommend immediate action to address the nation’s long-term energy profile.
Moving beyond recent studies on the dangers of imported oil, this new report finds that all fossil fuels, as well as the nation’s fragile electricity grid, pose significant security threats to military mission and the country, and are “exploitable by those who wish to do us harm.”
Issued by the Military Advisory Board (MAB) of CNA, a nonprofit research organization, the report identifies a series of “converging risks” associated with future energy choices, and concludes “diversifying our energy sources and moving away from fossil fuels where possible is critical to our future energy security.”
Due to the destabilizing nature of increasingly scarce resources, the impacts of energy demand and climate change are likely to increasingly drive military missions in this century, according to the report. The first priority for the new Administration, the MAB recommends, is to clearly and fully integrate energy security and climate change goals into national security and military planning.
