The chain from the power line to the frontline is short and more fragile than the nation can afford.
State of Play. In the September issue of National Defense Magazine, Leah Emanuel and Will Rogers draw from “Powering the Fight: Lessons from the Grid at War” to examine how the grid underpins the defense industrial base and what reliable, uninterrupted power for munitions and materiel requires in today’s contested environment.
Backdrop. History offers a cautionary lesson. In both major world wars, the United States came close to energy shortfalls that could have decided the outcome.
Powering the Fight. The biggest liability then was the lack of transmission infrastructure to move power from where it was produced to where it was consumed. This same structural misalignment defines the challenge facing the industrial base today.
Why It Matters. When the grid buckles, the output of strategic munitions is throttled, degrading operational capability at precisely the moment when it needs to surge.
The Way Ahead. The federal government has transformed the power grid at scale before, and can do it again, by forging public-private partnerships that recognize the industrial base as a strategic asset.
Recommendations. To meet the moment, Congress should:
1 | Direct adequate attention to the poles, wires, and generation vital to defense manufacturing;
2 | Expand the Defense Department’s authorities to invest directly in the commercial grid, including loans for transmission lines serving communities with a larger defense industrial footprint;
3 | Work with utilities and communities to target grant dollars towards hardening defense-critical electric infrastructure against physical and cyber threats to military installations and defense manufacturers; and
4 | Resource the Defense Department to fully use the president’s Defense Production Act Title III designation to stockpile expensive and scarce components for grid reliability and expand deployment of grid-enhancing and advanced transmission technologies that boost efficiency on existing lines.