Interview: The U.S. Military is Moving to Cut Its Oil Dependency

When it comes to energy consumption, no single part of the U.S. government comes close to the Defense Department, with military operations accounting for about 80 percent of total federal energy use. Pentagon leaders say this reliance on fossil fuels is a threat to troops, as supplying increasingly energy-hungry forces exposes fuel supply lines to attack and makes troops more vulnerable to energy disruptions. As head of a new energy office at the Pentagon, Sharon Burke is charged with finding ways for the U.S. military to cut its dangerous dependency on oil. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, Burke talks about the new green technologies that are being tested and the challenges she faces ”“ cultural as well as technological ”“ in implementing them in the field.
Read the interview