Bullet Points: Energy, Security & the Long War of the 21st Century
ENERGY, SECURITY & THE LONG WAR OF THE 21 CENTURY
R. James Woolsey(Former Director of Central Intelligence, Venture Partner,
VantagePoint Venture Partners)
• DOD is concerned about the future of energy in military installations, for transportation, and as a criterion in weapon system acquisitions
• There are enormous implications for management of processes, structures, and the entire scope of operations
• There is a need for a collaborative environment for members of DOD and other institutions to come together and share ideas, technologies, and strategies for mitigating the coming energy crisis
• The long war of this century is different than the Cold War, in which the enemy was less ideologically committed and had much less economic leverage
• The United States is vulnerable to attacks on its energy infrastructure
⁃ The power grid
⁃ Oil infrastructure, especially in the Middle East
• Our dependence on oil perpetuates our vulnerabilities
⁃ Oil helps foster autocratic regimes and, directly and indirectly, funds terror
• The terrorism of today presents itself in non-traditional ways, very different and potentially far more destructive than most 20th-century terrorism
• The world’s dependence on, largely, autocracies for oil, has immediate consequences. Iran’s oil, for example, makes it less likely that most states will use effective sanctions against it to stop its nuclear program
• When oil is in the range of $70-$140/barrel, we borrow $400-800 million per day just to import it. Even at lower prices, petroleum’s monopoly of transportation heavily weakens the dollar and deprives us of energy-related jobs
• Areas in which transformation could occur:
⁃ Hybrids could evolve into plug-in hybrids; if these are constructed from carbon-composite materials to reduce vehicle weight while maintaining safety, we can achieve as much as 500 miles per gallon
⁃ An accompanying shift from oil products to biofuels produced from waste and cellulosic feedstocks could improve plug-in hybrid mileage to 1000 mpg (of gasoline) or better
⁃ All this leads in one grand strategic direction: We must destroy oil’s monopoly over transportation and, with it, OPEC’s dominance
