Army Energy Security: An Overview

As America’s Army moves through a period of expansion and change at home – and mission challenges abroad – building greater energy security is among the top priorities for the Army.

The Army’s drive for greater energy security is taking place against a backdrop of the need to support an expeditionary Army as well as the national impetus for substantial investments in the research and development of new energy technologies.

Today, the Army is moving to use energy more efficiently and increase the security of its energy supply in order to reduce the potential for supply disruptions that could impact its defense missions.

The Army Energy Program requires:

· installations to decrease their energy consumption in existing facilities by 3 percent annually through 2015, for a total reduction of 30 percent;
· newly built facilities – and new equipment – that are 30 percent more efficient than current standards;
· annual 10-percent increases in the use of alternate-fueled vehicles; and
· use of renewable electricity according to future targets:
- 3 percent in FY07-089
- 5 percent in FY10-12
- 7.5 percent by 2013 and
- 25% by 2025

To keep the Army moving forward toward greater energy security, the Army has formed the Senior Energy Council. This body is made up of more than 25 major Army organizations, including headquarters staff. The SEC is charged with providing leadership, strategy and accountability for energy security across the entire Army enterprise.

Within the Army’s overall energy security effort, the Army Installation Management Command is working to improve the energy security position of installations by pursuing three initiatives:

· modernizing energy and utility infrastructure to improve reliability;
· incorporating redundant energy systems to assure than installations can perform their missions; and
· maintaining a high level of preparedness for disaster recovery.

Energy reviews and improvements are ongoing across the 157 installations that IMCOM manages.


One of the most obvious signs of the Army’s push for greater energy security is the development of a 500-megawatt solar power plant at Fort Irwin, Calif. The plant will be built in phases, with a project end date expected around 2022. But Phase 1A of the project, with a completion of around 2014, is expected to provide enough power to sustain Fort Irwin. Project developers at Fort Irwin believe that, after developing the 500-MW facility as required, future development could lead to a 1,000-MW facility.

In ways large and small – and seen and unseen – Army installations are working to use energy smarter to help achieve their missions.