The New York Times reported Oct. 4 about the Military’s latest efforts to adopt renewable energy sources on the battlefield. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus wants half the energy used by the Navy and Marines to come from renewable sources by 2020. Renewable innovations include solar-powered bases and biofueled jets.
So why is the military embracing technology more associated with tree-hugging hippies than macho Marines? The Pentagon recognizes what congressional Republicans can’t. Energy independence isn’t a political issue — it’s a national security issue.
The rugged terrain and sparse infrastructure of Afghanistan forces the military to commit troops to protecting fuel convoys required for operating a mechanized army. A recent study commissioned by the Army Environmental Policy Institute found every 24 fuel convoys costs one soldier his life.
Free from congressional red tape, military leaders recognized the practical advantages of alternative energy as far back as 2006. While the military is adopting renewable energy because of its tactical benefits in the present, the rest of the country should get behind renewable energy because of its promising future.
For some reason, as soon as anyone brings up alternative energy, conservatives tend to write off any environmental benefits, so I’ll ignore oil spills and greenhouse gases to focus on national security and the economy.
Our reliance on fossil fuels influences U.S. foreign policy, forcing us into uneasy alliances with nations like Nigeria, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. It’s no coincidence that in the past 30 years of declining domestic oil production, the U.S. has been directly involved in three wars and countless conflicts in the world’s most oil-rich regions.
While a large portion of our oil comes from friendly countries like Canada and Mexico, about 10 percent comes from Saudi Arabia, home to 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers. Another 25 percent comes from questionable regimes in Iraq, Venezuela and Nigeria.
The U.S. taking such an interest in the natural resources of these countries fosters resentment among their citizens. We’ve all seen footage of flag burners yelling “Death to America!” but how many of us consider it a consequence of our greed?
Responding to our economic demand, leaders in Nigeria are sacrificing the safety of their people to profit from our oil addiction. Most citizens never see a dime of the oil money but are still left to clean up nearly weekly oil spills and rig explosions. Obviously the leaders of these countries should share the blame, but is it any surprise a man raised watching these atrocities grew up to be the “underwear bomber?”
Even worse than inspiring terrorists, trading with Saudi Arabia directly funds terrorism. According to the Times of London, U.S. Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey said if he could stop any country funding terror he would pick Saudi Arabia. Yet we still import more than 1 million barrels of Saudi crude every day.
Backing renewable energy sources would not only reduce our dependence on questionable oil but also stimulate the economy and foster new technological development.
The days of the U.S. leading the world in every industry are over, but if we dedicate ourselves to switching away from oil, we could become a world leader in green technology. As oil reserves fall and fuel prices climb, we’ll persevere and export our new green technology to the highest bidder. What could be more American?
Unfortunately for civilians, Republicans have blocked every Democrat-backed energy bill. Republicans seem more concerned with making the president look ineffective than helping our country. I hope advances made by the military will eventually find their way into civilian life, but it’ll be important to remember we survived the switch not because of conservatives but in spite of them.
Andrew Shockey is a 20-year-old biological engineering sophomore from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_Ashockey.
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Contact Andrew Shockey at [email protected]