The Military Is Shifting Towards Renewable Energy; Will We Follow Its Lead?

This is big news. Once again, it appears the American military will lead the way. Not only is it protecting us from our enemies in the campaign against terrorism, but it is also pioneering the fight against our dependence on fossil fuels.

As the New York Times reported the other day, military officials have started to push aggressively for equipping the army with renewable energy sources. The main motive is a practical one—too many Americans are getting killed transporting fuel to military bases in the Middle East, and the process is extremely costly, reaching $400 per gallon in some instances: “one Army study found, for every 24 fuel convoys that set out, one soldier or civilian engaged in fuel transport was killed. In the past three months, six marines have been wounded guarding fuel runs in Afghanistan.” In other words, the trucks that move diesel around are easy targets for the enemy, and soldiers who could be best utilized on the battlefield are relegated to guarding fuel convoys.

Now the army has begun to install a new system featuring “portable solar panels that fold up into boxes; energy-conserving lights; solar tent shields that provide shade and electricity; solar chargers for computers and communications equipment.” A Navy secretary named Ray Mabus says he expects renewable sources to account for 50% of the energy consumed by the Navy and Marines by 2020. Furthermore, “the Air Force will have its entire fleet certified to fly on biofuels by 2011.”

This is a huge transformative development in a period during which we have otherwise witnessed endless disappointment in the realm of energy. From the Bush administration’s resistance to climate change science and cynical succor to oil companies to Obama’s failure to enact cap-and-trade legislation, our civilian leadership has proved unable to adequately meet the challenge thus far (although Obama has done more than people give him credit for, as will be explained).

But, as has often been the case in American history, the military and scientific community are taking charge. According to Ray Mabus “the Navy had pioneered previous energy transformations in the United States, from sail power to coal power in the 19th century, as well as from coal to oil and oil to nuclear power in the 20th century.”

America achieved superpower status during the 20th century largely because of its military and scientific community. The two combined to win World War II with heroic fighting on the battlefield and brilliant innovation in developing the nuclear bomb. The race to the moon was another significant victory for American science, as was the explosion of the internet during the 1990’s.

Today’s challenge of transcending fossil fuels is perhaps as crucial as winning the race to nuclearization was during the 1940’s, and it would be fitting if the military and scientific community paved the way once more. However, this time around we seem to be leaving it up solely to our most talented people. During World War II the nation was more involved in the war effort since there was a draft. Now no such thing exists (thankfully). But we all must participate in the struggle against fossil fuels. And it appears change can come only from the government, which must live up to Lincoln’s ideal and do what the people cannot do themselves.

Consequently, Obama’s done much and little. On the one hand, his stimulus package included the largest ever investment in research and development in science, with a sharp focus on aiding renewable technology. One outcome of his efforts is that America has started to produce electric cars, and the government is providing strong incentives for people to buy them, such as tax breaks, rebates and home-charging units. But more must be done. A drastic overhaul of the entire system is necessary.

Restructuring the army’s energy apparatus should be a giant leap in the right direction, but we and our government must take action as well. Whereas the military can transform itself based on generals’ orders, our democracy can reinvent itself only if we elect representatives who understand the realities of the situation. As such I consider the war on fossil fuels/global warming to be similar to the war on terror in that it’s mainly a war of ideas. We need to convince Americans that this is a serious problem that has real consequences and attainable solutions. The most obvious measure is to try to educate as many people as possible to muster the requisite political will to change.
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