La préparation de l’armée américaine à la transition énergétique

• Main Author: Sophie Lefeez
• Format: Article
• Language: fra
• Published: Éditions en environnement VertigO 2021-04-01
• Series: VertigO
• Subjects: Biofuels; energetic transition; energy policy; military forces; renewable energy
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/vertigo/30189

The American forces have been conducting a policy of energetic transition for about fifteen years, based on two pillars : self-production, or at least consumption, of renewable energies, and conversion to biofuels. Their motivations are mainly strategic and economic. Launched at the federal level, this policy has been assimilated differently by the three forces according to what constitutes their largest item of energy expenditure. The U.S. Army has encouraged the production of renewable energy on its bases and launched a programme to convert its terrestrial vehicles to electricity. The Navy has strongly committed to develop biofuels but failed to get the industry massively produce biofuels at a competitive price to meet the military demand. As for the Air Force, its efforts did not really get beyond the certification of its planes. In 2015, the forces could produce about 82 % of the total renewable energy consumption, but only 3.6 % of the total electricity consumption of the Department of defense. Therefore, the forces increased the productive capacity of their projects. With the Republicans in power, programmes were halted, and priorities modified. But the forces perceive the renewable energies as way to strengthen their resilience and their strategic autonomy, that is why they have pursued their actions, in a more discrete way.