Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III unveiled the Defense Departmentâs new energy strategy at a Pentagon briefing yesterday, describing the plan as a way to increase energy efficiency and adapt the forces to âemerging threats.â
âOur use of energy cuts across each of these issues,â he said, according to a American Forces Press Service report. âIt affects military planners, acquisition managers and the warfighters alike. The way we build energy into our operations is a core part of fighting and winning the nationâs wars.â
The Pentagon is responsible for 80 percent of the federal governmentâs energy use and spent $15 billion on energy last year, Lynn said.
âNot only does [energy] cost the taxpayers, it costs the warfighters,â he added. âEvery dollar spent on energy use is a dollar not spent on other warfighting priorities.â
DoDâs renewed stance on energy was indicated by the Pentagonâs four-year strategic plan, the Quadrennial Defense Review, which recommended a new position focused on energy. Sharon Burke, assistant secretary of defense for operational energy plans and programs, now holds that position.
Burke, who has advocated that military energy use be considered in operational strategy, joined Lynn for the new strategyâs unveiling.
The Pentagon sent its report, Energy for the Warfighter: Operational Energy Strategy, to Congress yesterday.