Ameer Randolph
The US military is the world's single largest consumer of oil, with the Department of Defense using 4,600,000,000 US gallons (1.7 x 10^10 L) of fuel annually. This equates to an average of 12,600,000 US gallons (48,000,000 L) of fuel per day, more than entire industrialised nations like Portugal and Denmark. The US military's fuel usage has severe environmental consequences, making it one of the world's top greenhouse gas emitters.
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What You'll Learn
- The US military is the world's largest consumer of oil
- The US military is one of the world's top greenhouse gas emitters
- The US Air Force is the largest user of fuel in the federal government
- The US military's fossil fuel consumption is equivalent to 2300 homes in a day
- The US military's carbon footprint is larger than entire industrialised nations
The US military is the world's largest consumer of oil
The US military is the world's single largest consumer of oil. In 2007, the US Department of Defense (DoD) was responsible for 93% of all US government fuel consumption. If it were a country, the DoD would rank 34th in the world in average daily oil use, placing just behind Iraq and just ahead of Sweden. The Air Force is the largest user of fuel energy in the federal government, consuming 52-53% of the DoD's fuel, followed by the Navy at 33%, the Marine Corps at 18-28%, and the Army at 7%. In 2016, the DoD consumed about 86 million barrels of fuel for its operations.
The US military's enormous fuel consumption has made it one of the world's top greenhouse gas emitters. In 2017, the Pentagon's greenhouse gas emissions totalled over 59 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, which would make it the 55th largest emitter in the world, ahead of Portugal, Sweden, and Denmark. The largest sources of these emissions are buildings and fuel. The US military has recognized the importance of renewable energy in mitigating climate change and improving force safety and budget stability.
To reduce their environmental impact, the DoD has implemented several initiatives. In 2010, they established the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Operational Energy Plans and Programs to coordinate energy issues and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the US Department of Energy to accelerate the development and deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. The DoD has also invested in renewable energy projects, such as the SolarStrong program, which installed 300MW of PV installations on 120,000 roofs of base housing, and the construction of solar power plants and biomass plants.
The US military has also prioritized the use of renewable energy strategies, such as the Tactical Garbage to Energy Refinery Program, which converts waste into fuel, and the development of hybrid-electric Manned Ground Vehicles (MGV) and highly efficient portable cells. The Air Force has set goals to certify its entire fleet on coal-to-liquid synthetic fuel blends and fuel half of its domestic transportation with US-produced synthetic blends of biofuels and jet fuels by 2016. These initiatives not only help reduce the military's dependence on oil but also create jobs and reduce pollution.
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The US military is one of the world's top greenhouse gas emitters
The US military is the world's single largest consumer of oil, and as a result, it is one of the world's top greenhouse gas emitters. The US Department of Defense is one of the largest single consumers of energy globally, responsible for 93% of all US government fuel consumption in 2007. The Air Force is the largest user of fuel energy in the federal government, consuming 52% of the DoD's energy in 2007, and 53% of the military's petroleum in 2011. In FY 2006, the DoD used almost 30,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity, costing almost $2.2 billion. In electricity consumption, if it were a country, the DoD would rank 58th in the world. The Department of Defense uses 4,600,000,000 US gallons of fuel annually, an average of 12,600,000 US gallons per day. In comparison, commercial airlines in 2019 used roughly 12 billion gallons of fuel, while the Air Force reported using around 2 billion gallons.
The vast majority of military emissions come from operations—moving people and things around. The equipment needed to accomplish this, particularly when it's built to withstand combat, can be very inefficient. For example, a Humvee gets between four and eight miles per gallon. However, by far, the most fuel-thirsty equipment in the military is aircraft. In 2018, of the 100 million gallons of fuel the Defense Logistics Agency bought, about 70 million gallons were jet fuel. The B-2 stealth bomber, for instance, holds over 25,600 gallons of jet fuel, burning 4.28 gallons per mile and emitting 250 metric tons of greenhouse gas over a 6,000-nautical-mile range.
The US military has long been concerned with securing access to oil. This has involved providing military equipment and money to regional allies, having bases and personnel in the Persian Gulf region, and maintaining the capacity to move military forces quickly to the region to protect access to oil. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol created a reporting loophole for militaries, exempting many of the greenhouse gases emitted during military operations from counting against a country's emissions totals. While the 2015 Paris Accords removed this exemption, they didn't replace it with an obligation to report, leaving the decision to individual countries. The US military has tried to keep its greenhouse gas emissions out of the Kyoto Protocol counting process, and as a result, there is a gap in our understanding of the US military's true climate footprint.
The US military is taking steps to reduce its emissions and improve its energy usage. The Marine Corps established the Expeditionary Energy Office to increase combat effectiveness by reducing the need for liquid fossil fuel by 50% by 2025, using liquid fuel for mobility only. The Defense Department invested $9 billion to improve energy use in military operations through 2017. The DoD's Energy Conservation Investment Program (ECIP) improves the energy and water efficiency of existing Military Services' facilities, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided $120 million for the ECIP. The Air Force is the leading purchaser of renewable energy within the Federal government and has planned to certify its entire fleet on coal-to-liquid synthetic fuel blends by 2011. By 2016, it aimed to fuel half of its domestic transportation with US-produced synthetic blends, including biofuels and jet fuels.
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The US Air Force is the largest user of fuel in the federal government
The Air Force uses 10% of the nation's aviation fuel, with 82% of its fuel going to jet fuel, 16% to facility management, and 2% to ground vehicles and equipment. The B-2 stealth bomber, for example, holds over 25,600 gallons of jet fuel and burns 4.28 gallons per mile. The Air Force largely runs on a fuel called JP-8, made from kerosene, which accounts for nearly 90% of its fuels.
The Air Force is the leading purchaser of renewable energy within the federal government and has been a pioneer in renewable energy development. It has set goals to reduce its consumption of energy and plans to certify its entire fleet on coal-to-liquid synthetic fuel blends. The Air Force Energy Plan, published in May 2010, includes information about the Air Force's goals, including reducing demand, increasing supply, and changing the culture to include energy awareness.
The Defense Department has also taken steps to improve energy use in military operations. The DoD's Energy Conservation Investment Program (ECIP) helps the Military Services save on energy usage and cost. The Marine Corps has established the Expeditionary Energy Office to increase combat effectiveness by reducing the need for liquid fossil fuel by 50% by 2025, using liquid fuel only for mobility. The Defense Department consumed about 86 million barrels of fuel for operational purposes in fiscal year 2016.
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The US military's fossil fuel consumption is equivalent to 2300 homes in a day
The US military is one of the largest consumers of fossil fuels in the world. In 2017, the US military purchased an average of 269,230 barrels of oil each day, producing 25,000 kilotons of greenhouse gases. The US Department of Defense (DoD) is responsible for 93% of all US government fuel consumption. In 2006, the DoD used almost 30,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity, at a cost of almost $2.2 billion. The DoD uses 4.6 billion US gallons of fuel annually, which is an average of 12.6 million US gallons of fuel per day.
The US military's fossil fuel consumption is equivalent to 2,300 homes in a day. This massive amount far outnumbers many other countries. The US military possesses 225,000 ground combat vehicles, and every branch of the military requires transportation or functional vehicles, from aircraft to massive ships, all powered by fossil fuels. The production of these vehicles also contributes to pollution, as they require fossil fuels and harmful chemicals such as perchlorate, a vital component of jet fuel, which contaminates soil and water supplies.
The US Air Force is the largest user of fuel energy in the federal government, consuming 53% of petroleum in 2011 and accounting for most of the DoD's energy usage. In 2017, the Air Force spent $4.9 billion on fuel, followed by the Navy at $2.8 billion, the Army at $947 million, and the Marines at $36 million, totalling over 12% of the national budget. The Air Force uses 10% of the nation's aviation fuel, with 82% of its fuel usage being jet fuel, 16% for facility management, and 2% for ground vehicles and equipment.
While the US military is taking steps to reduce its fossil fuel consumption and environmental impact, such as investing in renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency, it still faces challenges in addressing its massive energy requirements and mitigating the negative effects of its fuel consumption on the environment.
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The US military's carbon footprint is larger than entire industrialised nations
The US military is the world's single largest consumer of oil, and as a result, one of the world's top greenhouse gas emitters. The US Department of Defense is one of the largest single consumers of energy in the world, responsible for 93% of all US government fuel consumption in 2007. The Air Force is the largest user of fuel energy in the federal government, consuming 53% of petroleum in 2011, and using 10% of the nation's aviation fuel. The Air Force uses 82% of its fuel for jet fuel, 16% for facility management, and 2% for ground vehicles and equipment.
The US military emits more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than entire industrialised nations like Portugal and Denmark, yet evades scrutiny. According to UNEP's report, countries will have to cut 42% from projected 2030 emissions to avoid breaching a previously agreed limit of 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures. While the US has committed to reducing military emissions, the lack of clear data from the US Defense Department, the world's largest employer, is a major stumbling block.
The US military's vast carbon footprint is due in part to its sprawling network of carbon-intensive manufacturing supply chains. The average American aerospace company relies on roughly 200 main suppliers, with more than 12,000 companies in the lower tiers. The US military's emissions are about 51 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent annually in the last two years, not including the emissions caused by the destruction of property and burning of infrastructure during war.
While the US military has taken steps to reduce its fuel consumption and increase the use of renewable energy, it continues to have a significant impact on the environment. The military's emissions contribute to climate change, which has been called the biggest concern for the United States military by Admiral Samuel J. Locklear.
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Frequently asked questions
The US military is the world's single largest consumer of oil. In 2017, the US military purchased an average of 269,230 barrels of oil each day, producing 25,000 kilotons of greenhouse gases. In 2016, the Defense Department consumed about 86 million barrels of fuel for operational purposes.
If the US military's fuel usage were a country, the Department of Defense would rank 34th in the world in average daily oil use, coming in just behind Iraq and just ahead of Sweden. The US military emits more than entire industrialised nations like Portugal and Denmark.
The US military has acknowledged that renewable energy can provide improvements in force safety and budget stability as well as mitigate climate change. The Marine Corps established the Expeditionary Energy Office to increase combat effectiveness by reducing the need for liquid fossil fuel by 50% by 2025, using liquid fuel for mobility only. The Defense Department has also invested $9 billion to improve energy use in military operations through 2017.
