MILITARY MUST KICK OIL – STUDY

U.S. Military Must Be Oil-Free by 2040 New Report Says
Chikodi Chima, September 30, 2010 (AltTransport)

"To be an effective fighting and defense force for future decades, the U.S. military must be able to completely break its dependence on oil, according to the results of [Fueling the Future: Preparing the Department of Defense for a post-petroleum era.

"…[Authors Christine Parthemore and Dr. John Nagl of the Center for New American Security] say that today 77 percent of the DOD’s massive energy needs come from petroleum-derived fuels. Natural gas, which is the second largest source of energy for the DOD is just 8.4 percent of the total…"

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"Liquid fuel for transportation purposes constitutes the most important and most vulnerable use of petroleum, because shipping vessels and pipelines present an ongoing security threat…[The] sea battles against Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa [are] an example of the constant risks of transporting fuel.

"…[O]ne of the key reasons why the Allies were able to defeat the Nazi army was due to our constant bombardment of their fueling infrastructure…[A]n army that can’t move can’t win. However, while the threat to our military’s physical fueling infrastructure is limited largely to combat zones, the real danger is the rapidly dwindling supply of energy on earth…[F]ighting a war in which gasoline costs $400 per gallon [would be untenable]..."

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"Several important efforts are underway to move the military away from its dependence on fossil fuels. The U.S. Air Force began test flights of its Green Hornet, a supersonic jet powered by camelina fuel. The U.S. Navy plans to use solar power for its [vehicles that travel less than 25 miles per hour]…[T]he Air Force has been buying animal fat-derived fuel for aviation from Dynamic Fuels, a partnership between Syntroleum and Tyson Chicken…One study even looked at turning poppies into biodiesel to fuel combat operations in Afghanistan, turning a cash crop for the Taliban into a revenue source for local farmers…

"There is still a long, long way to go, but if an operation as distributed and energy-dependent as the U.S. military can get its fuel needs under wraps, its not much of a leap for civilians to do the same."