JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Access to cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven distribution of energy supplies among countries has led to significant vulnerabilities.
Threats to energy security include the political instability of several energy producing countries, the manipulation of energy supplies, the competition over energy sources, attacks on supply infrastructure, as well as accidents and natural disasters.
The limited supplies, uneven distribution and rising cost of fossil fuels, such as oil and gas, create a need to change to more sustainable energy sources in the future. The term "energy security" is being expanded to include many new factors. It is also being recognized that energy security does not stand by itself, but is an integral piece of the larger relations among nations and how they interact with each other.
Longer term measures to increase "energy security" focus on several different areas:
· Reducing dependence on any one source of imported energy
· Increasing the number of suppliers
· Making beneficial use of native fossil fuels or renewable energy resources
· Reducing overall demand through energy conservation measures
· Entering into agreements to support international energy trading relationships
There are many other things we can do to insure that there is a "sustainable energy" supply at our installations. Some of these range from solid physical and cyber security protections to making sure that mission-critical activities are supported in times of emergency.
This includes the evaluation of all options for mission assurance to include mission redundancy, mission relocation or mobility and on-site redundant or backup utility support systems. This includes hardening our electrical and utility supply and distribution systems as well as the management of energy demand during critical events.
Renewable energy sources and technologies will play a big role in the Air Force's energy future and help increase the diversity of supply. However, as important as renewable energy is, it is usually very expensive to build and is almost always intermittent in its energy production. This means that renewable energy sources cannot always be relied upon during times of emergency or external threat to serve our mission-critical needs.
Energy security may be a misleading term when it applies to doing your job in the Air Force. Individually we cannot address all of these measures but we can have a significant impact on energy security by changing the culture, changing our attitude and changing our behavior. A continued focus on energy conservation and individual responsibility will help Joint Base Charleston achieve our energy security goals.