The Energy Collective: Leading the Clean Energy Charge

Leading the Clean Energy Charge: An Interview with Vice Admiral Lee Gunn

Jesse Jenkins

Aggressive new efforts are underway to end the U.S. military’s reliance on oil by catalyzing clean energy technology innovation and adoption. That is exactly the right approach to enhance the strategic and tactical capabilities of the armed forces, buttress national security, and help repower the economy, according to a recent report published by an elite group of more than a dozen retired generals and flag officers hailing from all branches of the U.S. military.

“Continued over-reliance on fossil fuels will increase the risks to America’s future economic prosperity and will thereby diminish the military’s ability to meet the security challenges of the rapidly changing global strategic environment,” according to “Powering America’s Economy: Energy Innovation at the Crossroads of National Security Challenges,” a July report published by the CNA Military Advisory Board.

Earlier this month I interviewed Vice Admiral Lee F. Gunn (Retired), a decorated 35-year Navy veteran now working as the President of the CNA Institute of Public Policy Research. We discussed oil dependency, associated threats to our nation’s security, economic wellbeing, and the lives of our servicemen and women, and the potential for DoD to accelerate the development and adoption of clean energy.

Below is the full Q&A with Vice Admiral Gunn, which accompanies the exclusive Energy Collective column, “Can the Military Lead the Clean Energy Charge,” which can be read here.

Q: Vice Admiral Gunn, thank you for speaking with me and sharing your views with theEnergyCollective.com.

This new CNA report calls for the U.S. Department of Defense and armed services to take on a proactive leadership role in the nation’s efforts to transition away from fossil fuels towards a set of clean and efficient energy alternatives. Why does CNA believe clean energy innovation should be a priority for our nation’s armed forces?

Vice Admiral Lee F. Gunn (ret.), President of the CNA Institute for Public Policy Research:  “The Military Advisory Board of CNA met and considered over the last several months the security issues of and the nation’s opportunities in pursuing new technologies in sustainable, domestic energy. We have concluded that we must capitalize on Defense Department work that is already underway, and create new opportunities for government and industry to cooperate. Our report, “Powering America’s Economy: Energy Innovation at the Crossroad of National Security Challenges” summarizes our thoughts.

The nation’s fossil fuel dependence affects every one of our institutions; it has an especially negative, and direct, impact on our military.

The Defense Science Board examined the Defense Department’s energy challenges in 2008 and concluded that DoD’s energy inefficiency and reliance on oil created many serious challenges to military effectiveness, including cost.

As is true for the rest of the country, there are significant economic repercussions of heavy oil dependence in DoD. Given the size of DoD and its rate of energy consumption, the effects are especially acute.

In 2008, approximately $20 billion of DoD’s budget was spent on energy, of which $3.8 billion purchased electricity for installations. Every $10 increase in the price of a barrel of oil costs the Department $1.3 billion.

That money comes at a direct and serious cost to other war fighting readiness priorities. The battlefield logistics burden due largely to the delivery of fuel supplies reduces combat effectiveness and creates acute tactical vulnerabilities.

Click here to read the entire interview.

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