U.S. Military in Iraq Realizes Army's Dependence on Oil Cost Soldiers Their Lives

U.S. Military in Iraq Realizes Army's Dependence on Oil Cost Soldiers Their Lives

At the height of the violence in Iraq, the most dangerous thing for an American soldier to do in the lawless province of Anbar was drive in a fuel convoy.

There were urgent requests for vehicles with better armor to withstand improvised explosive devices (IED), but what if soldiers from supply units never had to travel on a road laden with IEDs in the first place?

Dan Nolan realized that if the military could reduce its fuel consumption, fewer convoys would be exposed to possible ambush in Iraq, and lives would be saved, according to a report published today by Climate Wire (subscription required).

As an adviser to Army General Tommy Franks at the U.S. Central Command and chief of the power task force at the Fort Belvoir, Virginia-based Rapid Equipping Force -- a think tank for military innovation -- the 26-year Army veteran knew what he had to do. He set out to make American bases in Iraq more energy efficient.

The idea grew into a program to markedly cut the amount of fuel the military burns in diesel generators powering air-conditioners in Iraq's smoldering heat by spraying insulating foam on tents and barracks in forward operating bases. Eventually, all U.S. military bases at home and abroad will become energy independent through the use of renewable energy and highly efficient insulated tents and buildings, Nolan hopes.

A program that was started to minimize battlefield casualties may end up boosting the role of renewables in society as a whole, changing the country's energy model and helping to shrink the military's vast carbon footprint.

"In Iraq, the military has spent $95 million on insulating foam and has saved $105 million per year in return," Nolan, who is now retired from the Army and runs a consultancy called Sabot 6, said in an interview with Climate Wire.

"The National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, is spending $25 million for spray foam at training forward operating bases, saving more than $20 million per year in fuel and equipment costs. Another $29 million is spent in Afghanistan. The military is embracing energy conservation and actively seeking the savings."

The U.S. military views the country's dependence on oil -- a resource beyond its control -- as a national security threat, Nolan said. So the Department of Defense envisions the future of energy security in the military as dependent on reducing demand, transforming waste into energy, making bases operate independently of a centralized power grid and using renewables much more than it does now. But budget constraints stand in the way of big investments.

"We need to stop focusing on cost and look at return on investment," Nolan said.

Scott Doggett:  is an AutoObserver.com Associate Editor.