I've been thinkng about this for a while, and the more I think about it the more I come to the same conclusion. The main limits on the militaries of 1st world countries are logistical/economic. For example the main day-today issue for the US military in Iraq is not so much the actions of the enemy but the business of supplying its soldiers. The main strategic issuse is the war's massive cost.
Both of these issues could be reduced if the military were to make a concious effort to switch to renewable/no-petroleum fuel sources. There are massive strategic benefits to this.
The list goes on. Right now the limits to this are technological. But we know that the world's militaries are the most effective R&D organizations in modern day society. The strategic benefits to a non-petroleum based military are as I said massive. So why has this not happened?
I'd also like to hear anyone's ideas about possible technolgies that could allow the world's militaries to move away from needing oil.
This is mainly directed at the West but China stands to benefit too.
Both of these issues could be reduced if the military were to make a concious effort to switch to renewable/no-petroleum fuel sources. There are massive strategic benefits to this.
- Reduced logistical dependence on the transport of millions of gallons of fuel.
- Eliminating dependence on fuel that is vital to all military operations but located in potentially volatile or hostile places like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Russia and Iran.
- Keeping costs of military operations down (and thus making them more politically acceptable) by ending the need to purchase said millions of gallons of petroleum.
- Shifting the long-term strategic paradigm away from oil. A nation with a green-fuel military will not need to worry about the actions of rivals directed at oil producing parts of the world.
The list goes on. Right now the limits to this are technological. But we know that the world's militaries are the most effective R&D organizations in modern day society. The strategic benefits to a non-petroleum based military are as I said massive. So why has this not happened?
I'd also like to hear anyone's ideas about possible technolgies that could allow the world's militaries to move away from needing oil.
This is mainly directed at the West but China stands to benefit too.