BLUF: Ninety-five percent of U.S. military bases rely on the civilian grid for power, and that grid is failing to keep up.
Why it matters: In 2021, defense installations suffered more than 6,000 energy disruptions amounting to over 3,000 days of lost power. As electricity demand surges and extreme weather intensifies, the gap between what the grid can deliver and what national defense requires is widening fast.
- The grid can’t fully support national defense. Even short-term disruptions to civilian electricity can impact vital military missions happening in real time on the other side of the world.
- Demand is surging. The rise of data centers and manufacturing facilities is driving electricity demand to its highest levels in half a century, while the grid simultaneously undergoes a massive transformation in how power is generated and consumed.
- Extreme weather is compounding the problem. Since 2000, major power outages from weather-related events have increased 67%. Transmission is the key to moving power from unaffected areas during a crisis, and the current incremental approach to planning it is dangerously insufficient.
- A solution is on the table. FERC is considering a regional planning and cost allocation rule that would require long-term, forward-looking transmission planning. Elected officials at every level need to support robust grid expansion to meet national defense needs.