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Army Energy Awareness Month

What is it?

Energy Awareness Month (October) provides an opportunity for everyone in the Army to assess how we use energy and water and how we can enhance the Army's energy and water security. Through this week's Pentagon Energy Security event, the Association of the Unites States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition (AUSA), the third week in October, and throughout the entire month, the Army will focus on power and energy.

What has the Army done?

Our Army has declared energy and water security to be priorities. The Army is enhancing mission effectiveness through Army Power and Energy advancements. We have lightened the dismounted Soldiers' energy load, reduced vulnerable fuel convoys and thus, lowered the risks to our Soldiers. We are making installations, where Soldiers and families live, work and train, safer from power disruptions caused by weather, nature and acts of terrorism. Through our Net Zero Initiative and the Energy Initiatives Task Force, we are seeking ways to further reduce the Army's total installation energy consumption, which, since 2003, has decreased by 13 percent.

What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?

We are and will continue to update our policies, doctrine, equipment, training, and installation management practices. Energy security and sustainability will continue to be significant aspects of our Army Campaign Plan and the Army of 2020. Most importantly, we are working to change Army culture to ensure that energy security becomes an integral consideration both in our planning and decision making as well as in the actions of each of our Soldiers, families, and civilians. The development of force-wide energy doctrine and operating principles - coupled with technological investments, operational training, education, and facilities management - will improve our overall energy security. Energy security will enable us to perform the Army's global mission.

Why is this important to the Army?

For the Army to accomplish our global mission, we depend on secure, uninterrupted access to power, energy, and water. In today's complex operating environment and volatile energy market, the long-standing assumption that the Army will continue to have unlimited, affordable, and accessible energy and water is no longer reasonable. Our mission effectiveness is at risk as a result of our dependence on finite, costly, and vulnerable energy and water resources. We must continue to make prudent decisions to ensure that the Army of the future has access to the energy, water, land, and other resources it needs to shape, prevent, and win.

Resources:

Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy and Environment)
Army Energy News
Energy Initiatives Task Force
Net Zero Public site