The New Administration’s Policy Should Reflect that Biofuels Cannot Meet Military Needs
By Rachel Zissimos & Katie Tubb
January 05, 2017
While serving as Commanding General of the First Marine Division during the invasion of Iraq, retired General James Mattis called on Department of Defense (DOD) planners to “unleash” the Marine Corps from “the tether of fuel.”[1] Throughout the Iraq conflict, restricted access to fuel had slowed the advance of U.S. forces and dictated operational capabilities, prompting General Mattis’s request for relief from petroleum limitations.[2]
Although fuel makes it possible for forces to operate in the air, on land, and at sea, it also ties combat units to their sources of supply, presents a vulnerable target to enemy forces, and increases the “logistics footprint” of deployed forces.[3] With the exception of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines, every tactical vehicle, aircraft, and ship depends on a ready supply of fuel for power and propulsion. The tankers, oilers, and ground supply convoys that follow America’s combat forces form a logistics tail that is expensive to operate, slow to mobilize, and difficult to protect. The challenge to improving combat effectiveness, while at the same time minimizing risk, lies in finding alternative ways to provide energy unencumbered by “tethers” to deployed forces.
http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2017/01/05/biofuels_cannot_meet_military_needs_110577.html
