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September 2005
Sunday, September 11, 2005
3:21:00 PM EDT
Energy and Military Readiness
by Dave Cohen
We sometimes do not seem to realize that our formidable military strength is driven almost entirely by petroleum derived energy. Without fuel, our military readiness will cease to exist. The only exception to this rule is our small nuclear powered naval fleet.
With a shortage of petroleum fuels, our military transportation, supply, and communications networks will stagnate. Ships, aircraft, tanks, trucks and other vehicles will become unusable. Our ability to project our military power worldwide will be at an end. This problem will be compounded by an energy shortage induced shortfall in industrial and agricultural output, severely limiting our ability to keep the military establishment supplied with hardware or even food.
I believe that there is no question that our military planners are aware of this. If they are not, then we are living in a fool’s paradise.
The coming drop in worldwide petroleum production, only 2-3 decades from now, can paralyze us as a world power at a time when world population has increased by 50% or more. It will be an extremely dangerous time in world history.
Are we prepared to go back to a mounted cavalry, horse drawn artillery, and sailing vessels?. Are we prepared to manufacture weapons by blacksmiths? Are we prepared to hand deliver messages by pony express? I think not. That is where we were at the time of the American Revolution. It was just prior to the start of the fossil energy driven industrial revolution.
This raises the question, “What are we going to to about it?” I ask that question of our President, our Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, and our Departments of Transportation, Interior, Commerce, Agriculture and Energy. I also ask that question of our representatives in Congress and ourselves.
Do I have any ideas about how to proceed? Yes, I certainly do. Am I qualified to suggest a course of action? I don’t know, but I will proceed to make suggestions anyway.
The first issue to consider is our aircraft fleet. Most aircraft require a petroleum derived fuel or its equivalent. Synthetic petroleum can be produced from a mineral known as oil shale. The US has an abundance of oil shale in our western states, enough to meet our own country’s fuel needs for an estimated 250 years. We must embark on a crash program to produce fuel from shale, especially aircraft fuel. We must start this without delay. The process is well known. Production cost can be worked out by merging initial output streams with natural petroleum production.
The next issue is hydrogen production. Hydrogen can meet all of our needs as a transportable energy carrier. Surface vehicles can run on hydrogen with internal combustion engines, hybrid power systems or fuel cell engines. However hydrogen is not an energy source. It must be manufactured from water with a native energy supply. The military is in a unique position to do this with nuclear power. Using breeder type reactors supplied with our existing stocks of fissionable plutonium, it is possible to produce electrical energy for the on site manufacture of hydrogen from water. All nuclear powered ships can be floating hydrogen factories that store and distribute hydrogen worldwide. Our large seaports and military bases can also set up stationary nuclear power systems that produce hydrogen on base from water 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. By producing their own hydrogen from nuclear energy, the military will not have to wait for commercial production from renewable energy and the infrastructure needed to go with it. Again, the process is well known and without technical risk. We know how to do this right now, if needed.
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3:21:00 PM EDT
Military Readiness
Energy and Military Readiness
by Dave Cohen
We sometimes do not seem to realize that our formidable military strength is driven almost entirely by petroleum derived energy. Without fuel, our military readiness will cease to exist. The only exception to this rule is our small nuclear powered naval fleet.
With a shortage of petroleum fuels, our military transportation, supply, and communications networks will stagnate. Ships, aircraft, tanks, trucks and other vehicles will become unusable. Our ability to project our military power worldwide will be at an end. This problem will be compounded by an energy shortage induced shortfall in industrial and agricultural output, severely limiting our ability to keep the military establishment supplied with hardware or even food.
I believe that there is no question that our military planners are aware of this. If they are not, then we are living in a fool’s paradise.
The coming drop in worldwide petroleum production, only 2-3 decades from now, can paralyze us as a world power at a time when world population has increased by 50% or more. It will be an extremely dangerous time in world history.
Are we prepared to go back to a mounted cavalry, horse drawn artillery, and sailing vessels?. Are we prepared to manufacture weapons by blacksmiths? Are we prepared to hand deliver messages by pony express? I think not. That is where we were at the time of the American Revolution. It was just prior to the start of the fossil energy driven industrial revolution.
This raises the question, “What are we going to to about it?” I ask that question of our President, our Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, and our Departments of Transportation, Interior, Commerce, Agriculture and Energy. I also ask that question of our representatives in Congress and ourselves.
Do I have any ideas about how to proceed? Yes, I certainly do. Am I qualified to suggest a course of action? I don’t know, but I will proceed to make suggestions anyway.
The first issue to consider is our aircraft fleet. Most aircraft require a petroleum derived fuel or its equivalent. Synthetic petroleum can be produced from a mineral known as oil shale. The US has an abundance of oil shale in our western states, enough to meet our own country’s fuel needs for an estimated 250 years. We must embark on a crash program to produce fuel from shale, especially aircraft fuel. We must start this without delay. The process is well known. Production cost can be worked out by merging initial output streams with natural petroleum production.
The next issue is hydrogen production. Hydrogen can meet all of our needs as a transportable energy carrier. Surface vehicles can run on hydrogen with internal combustion engines, hybrid power systems or fuel cell engines. However hydrogen is not an energy source. It must be manufactured from water with a native energy supply. The military is in a unique position to do this with nuclear power. Using breeder type reactors supplied with our existing stocks of fissionable plutonium, it is possible to produce electrical energy for the on site manufacture of hydrogen from water. All nuclear powered ships can be floating hydrogen factories that store and distribute hydrogen worldwide. Our large seaports and military bases can also set up stationary nuclear power systems that produce hydrogen on base from water 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. By producing their own hydrogen from nuclear energy, the military will not have to wait for commercial production from renewable energy and the infrastructure needed to go with it. Again, the process is well known and without technical risk. We know how to do this right now, if needed.
Written by jdc2485 Blog about this entry |
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