Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is proposing to “green up” the military with a bill she is sponsoring, titled The Department of Defense Energy Security Act. Giffords references a report by the Army Environmental Policy Institute which found that attacks on fuel convoys caused 170 fatalities during 2007. I also read the Army’s report, which outlines the vital importance of resupply convoys and their vulnerability for attack.
Securing our energy supplies during warfare is a strategic imperative. The Department of Defense (DoD) should investigate resupply tactics that provide greater protection to our troops and minimize the risk that those fuel supplies are interrupted.
But Giffords’ folly is that her bill mixes the politics of Washington with the tactics of warfare. The bill requires:
- All paper used by DoD to contain at least 30 percent post-consumer fiber content
- The DoD to give a preference to goods and services produced using sustainable environmental practices
- The DoD to obtain 20 percent of its energy from on-site renewable sources by 2020
- All non-tactical vehicles to be switched to either hybrid propulsion or an alternative propulsion system that yields a 30 percent net increase in energy efficiency per vehicle
- The DoD to use an aviation fuel consisting of at least 50 percent biofuels that do not compete with food stocks
- Private parties that contract with the DoD to comply with the requirements regarding use of renewable energy and energy efficient products
Shock and Awe: The next dimension in U.S. weaponry?
Pardon my skepticism, but these points sound more like a giant payday for Big Green. Who benefits when the DoD must use wind and solar energy and can only contract with “sustainable” partners? How does our use of recycled paper defeat the will of our enemy?
The risk of casualties multiplies when politicians get too involved in the tactics. For example, how might military vehicles improve their fuel efficiency by 30 percent? One way is to shed the heavy armor that shields the vehicle from attack…
Congress can decide whether or not to fund the wars but it’s the DoD and the military generals that should figure out how to win the wars.
Memo to Congress: We can’t ‘shock and awe’ the enemy with a Prius.
Neil Rosekrans is a founder and partner of StateBrief.com. He has been a guest political commentator for the Arizona Law Channel, NBC's Sunday Square Off and The Terry Gilberg Show on KFYI. Neil earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and earned his MBA and Masters in Public Policy, with an emphasis in International Relations, from Pepperdine University.
Neil and his wife, Beth, live in Scottsdale, Arizona. 
The problem with this bill is that it may actually be taken seriously by the HR. The silver lining is that it provides further proof that these liberal Democrats are not serious about national defense. It is imperative that we vote them out of office in November