Overview

The price of crude oil recently soared past $115 per barrel, resulting in the most expensive gasoline prices ever and renewing the debate over America's insatiable demand for energy. Airpower provided by the United States Air Force (USAF) uniquely depends on high density liquid fuels to deliver the flexible, asymmetric advantages of rapid mobility and global power. In fact, the USAF is the largest government consumer of energy and spends more than $5.8B annually on 2.6B gallons of aviation fuel, comprising 82% of its energy budget. Furthermore, every $10 increase per barrel of oil costs the Air Force an additional $600M annually, as reflected by the $2.1B growth of the FY09 budget to account for rising fuel costs. The eventual price for expensive energy in our budget constrained environment has been reduced flight training hours and fewer funds to invest in the recapitalization of an aging aircraft fleet, both of which degrade the service's combat capability. In short, our national and military dependence on oil is a strategic center of gravity which can be exploited by our adversaries and will continue to be a national problem as this increasingly limited resource becomes more expensive to discover, secure, and produce. As we move forward into the 21st century, the interdependence of energy, the economy, and national security will be intertwined and are a great cause for concern. Now is the time for investment in a diverse portfolio of renewable and domestic energy sources. The USAF recognized the vulnerability caused by its energy consumption and has established an aggressive energy strategy to reduce demand, increase supply, and develop a lasting culture of energy awareness. The Air Force is reducing unnecessary weight from daily air mobility training sorties and investing in revolutionary engine and aerodynamic technologies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce demand. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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