Fuel Efficiency in the U.S. Military ∨

GOAL

Convince the U.S. Department of Defense the value of energy efficiency

METHODS

Research, Strategic Consulting

OUTCOME

DoD policy now includes “the fully burdened cost of delivered energy in trade-off analyses conducted for all tactical systems … and to improve the energy efficiency of those systems.”

OVERVIEW

The U.S. Department of Defense consumes huge amounts of fuel, accounting for 2.3 percent of all U.S. transportation oil use.

Supplying this oil bears significant costs, because the military often operates in hostile environments with limited fuel supply infrastructure.

These challenging logistics can also jeopardize the safety of troops and other personnel. About half of all U.S. casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan are related to convoys, most of which haul inefficiently used fuel. There are arguments that this situation has diverted and degraded the military’s combat capability, as whole divisions of troops are tasked with guarding fuel convoys.

Recognizing the opportunity for improvement, RMI suggested in its 2004 study Winning the Oil Endgame that the military could triple the efficiency of its platforms and installations over the next few decades.

The suggestion was heeded -- in 2006, the U.S. Defense Science Board convened a task force to study military fuel use, naming RMI Chief Scientist and cofounder Amory Lovins an independent member.

One of the key recommendations of the Defense Science Board panel was a policy enacted on 10 April 2007: “Effective immediately, it is DoD policy to include the fully burdened cost of delivered energy in trade-off analyses conducted for all tactical systems with end items that create a demand for energy and to improve the energy efficiency of those systems, consistent with mission requirements and cost effectiveness.”

This “fully burdened” cost of energy accounts for both the cost of fuel to the end-use vehicle -- a humvee, tank, truck, etc. -- and the cost to supply fuel to that vehicle.