Department of Defense Should Take the Lead on the Energy Security Frontier
The January 12, 2010 edition of Indiana’s Courier Journal featured the article“An Energy Security Plan” coauthored byRichard Lugar, senior US Senator from Indiana (R) and General Paul Kern (US Army Retired), former commanding general of US Army Materiel Command. Since 2008, Kern has served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of AM General LLC, an Indiana-based manufacturer of the iconic military HMMWV (Humvee or Hummer).
The article opens with a description of the challenges our military faces in conducting fuel resupply operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. As an Iraq veteran experienced in providing security for fuel convoys, I saw firsthand the difficulties and failings of the established method. It is a curious sight indeed: over 100 unarmored civilian fuel trucks protected by a handful of armored military “gun trucks” stretching sometimes out to over 5 miles. Many of these vehicles are lost routinely to IED attacks, mechanical failures, and accidental collisions. The missions are dangerous both to the service members and “TCNs” (Third Country Nationals, i.e. truck drivers). The situation is reminiscent of Napoleon’s 1812 campaign in Russia, during which nearly half of the 600 thousand-strong Grande Armée was effectively taken out of the fight to support the enormous supply chain.
Lugar and Kern acknowledge that the problem extends beyond the military, citing extreme cost (453.3 billion in crude oil expenditures in 2008), unfriendly exporters, and inadequacy of domestic reserves. ASP’s Climate Security Index discusses this at length and specifically highlights that the vast majority of our oil imports come from countries that are rated as “high risk” or “very high risk” for political instability.
The article closes with a single broad recommendation: “As the largest single user of energy in the country, the Defense Department can play a leadership role.” I’d say as the largest single user of energy the Defense Department must play a role. As the article points out, American dependence on foreign energy sources affects our national security on both the macro and micro level.
