Pentagon Needs More Electrical Power to Protect Forces: Panel
Inder Singh Bisht October 21, 2021
The Pentagon’s push for electric vehicles and weapons systems is facing a dilemma in which China controls the global lion’s share of lithium-ion battery production for these systems.
A panel of security experts speaking last week at an online forum raised this issue, saying that the expansion of US military forces around the world requires more electrical power to protect against “long-range” attacks, noting that the Pentagon needs to find alternative means of power distribution, as present methods are expensive.
This comes as the US military has begun a “massive push toward electric vehicles” and laser weapons systems that function on electricity.
Mobile Nuclear Reactor
Heather Penny, a senior fellow at the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute, gave an example of mobile truck-mounted nuclear reactors under Project Pele, which re-fuel batteries for remote operating bases.
The panelists concurred with her suggestion and added that the mobile reactors must be kept hidden and at a safer distance from the enemy’s reach.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/10/21/pentagon-alternative-electricity-panel/
