Book Description

As we enter the 21st century, the Department of Defense (DOD) remains critically dependent on oil from petroleum for operational energy and for all force projection. Although this has worked well historically, with DOD simply being one of the major consumers of commercial energy sources, there are concerns that this picture may not continue throughout the 21st century. In response to concerns about U.S. and global depletion of cheap petroleum resources and the particular impact of this on future DOD energy resource needs, a series of workshops were held during 2002 and 2003 at National Defense University. These workshops were specifically aimed at the policy, geopolitics, economics, and technological aspects of future energy supply and demands, attempting to answer questions about the possible need for DOD engagement with industry and with the Department of Energy (DOE) on future energy resource issues. Particular issues addressed in the workshops and in this report include: the role of DOD in current and near future development by the oil and gas industry; the role of DOD in national and international future energy programs; how estimates of future availability and cost of hydrocarbon fuels will impact DOD; the need for a DOD long term strategy and policy regarding potential energy shortages; and the effects of environmental constraints on DOD energy options. The first workshop concluded that the major DOD requirement for energy in the next 50 years would remain liquid hydrocarbons, but that there was grave disagreement as to whether this requirement could continue to be met as it has in the past. This led to the further conclusion that DOD would be very wise to begin to more closely monitor this situation and take appropriate actions as necessary. The remaining three workshops in the series focused on potential future energy replacements for oil with an emphasis on DOD needs.