The Department of Defense needs an intervention, because it has a serious addiction problem. On an average day, the department requires an injection of roughly 14 million gallons of oil to satisfy its fix, making it the world’s largest petro-fiend. Of the nearly 5 billion gallons consumed by the DoD each year, only half are purchased from U.S. refineries. Consequently, the U.S. military dishes out billions of dollars each year to foreign oil producers. While the economic costs of supporting the DoD’s insatiable appetite for fossil fuels are tremendous, they are overshadowed by the cost to our global carbon budget.
In 2007 Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act, aimed at addressing national security issues related to the federal government’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels. The goal of this act was “To move the United States toward greater energy independence and security, to increase the production of clean renewable fuels … and to improve the energy performance of the federal government.” In order to achieve these goals, the bill set out to improve fuel economy, spur the development of biofuels and enhance energy efficiency in public buildings. Seven years after taking this bold step towards sustainability, Congress took two sly steps backwards. A single sentence, nestled discreetly in Section 314 in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015, exempts the DoD from the Energy Independence and Security Act. This means that the DoD, which accounts for 80 percent of the federal government’s total energy consumption, will not be held to federal energy efficiency standards. Sections 316 and 317 of the behemoth bill further cripple conservation efforts by barring the DoD from spending money on alternative fuel sources, specifically biofuels, until they can match the price of conventional oil. These measures operate under the facade of frugality. According to House Armed Service Committee Chairman Buck McKeon, “The legislation guards against achieving false short-term savings at the expense of vital long-term strategic capabilities.” In reality, this bill will accomplish just the opposite.
From 2005 to 2011, the DoD reduced fuel consumption by four percent, and yet its total fuel costs skyrocketed from $4.5 billion to $17.3 billion. This outrageous 381 percent price hike is indicative of growing instability in the global oil market. As the price of petroleum increases, the hidden costs of fossil fuel consumption will also continue to soar. The process of converting fossil fuels into cheap energy contaminates our air and water with billions of tons of carbon per year. The DoD alone makes an annual contribution of around 45 million tons of atmospheric CO2, the vast majority of which comes from jet fuel.
While currently a significant source of pollution, jet fuel has the potential to drastically reduce the DoD’s massive carbon footprint. Biofuels can be blended with conventional jet fuel to produce a much cleaner burning mixture that can be used in standard jet engines. “Drop in” fuels, as they are called, have been hailed by the International Air Transport Association as the most promising solution for reducing the carbon footprint of flying, easing dependence on fossil fuels, and offsetting the risks associated with the high volatility of oil and fuel prices. The IATA claims that the technical ability to utilize sustainable jet fuel exists, but the political willpower to do so is lacking. This assessment seems to encapsulate the unfortunate plight of renewable energy sources across the board.
The most recent NDAA sets the DoD’s annual budget for 2015 at a thrifty $600 billion. In addition to plethoras of Predator Hellfire missiles, practice bombs, general purpose bombs, Tomahawks, rockets, cartridges, small arms, fuzes, cruise missiles and mavericks, the NDAA 2015 price tag includes squadrons of shiny new jets, choppers, tanks, ships and spacecraft. Along with Chalk Eagles, Pilot Fish, Warrior Systems, a teleport program and a Submarine Acoustic Warfare System, the U.S. military will be purchasing an Iron Dome and a Space Fence. These are just a few of the many purchases that the DoD will make next year in an effort to protect us from the imminent threats of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and space invaders. I understand the DoD just wants to get the most bang for its buck, but the bucks that it spends are mine and yours. For my money, I’d rather have a planet with breathable air than one brimming with bombs and bullets.