Fueling Defense: The Backbone of Modern Military Readiness
While natural gas is poised to play a critical role in the future of military aviation, its importance to our national defense today is already foundational. From emergency backup power at military installations to its essential role in defense manufacturing, natural gas fuels the daily operations that keep the U.S. military mission-ready.
Military installations across the country rely heavily on natural gas to help ensure uninterrupted operations. As national security assets, these bases must remain online during extreme weather, cyberattacks, or grid outages. Natural gas-fueled generators and microgrids provide a crucial layer of resilience. These on-site systems offer reliable backup power for command centers, air traffic control towers, medical facilities, communications equipment, and other mission-critical infrastructure.
From Fort Bragg to Joint Base San Antonio, bases are increasingly deploying combined heat and power (CHP) systems. These high-efficiency, gas-fueled technologies generate both electricity and heat from natural gas. These systems not only cut emissions and costs but also enhance energy independence, reducing reliance on vulnerable centralized grids – and with the natural gas system experiencing outages at 1/650th the rate of the electrical system, our military can rest assured that this supply is reliable.
Beyond our bases, natural gas is a key input for the defense industrial base – the sprawling network of factories, shipyards, and contractors that produce everything from ammunition and armored vehicles to radar systems and fighter jets. These facilities require large amounts of reliable energy, which natural gas is uniquely positioned to provide. Whether it’s fueling furnaces for domestic steel production, supplying steam for precision manufacturing, or running kilns and foundries, natural gas keeps the defense supply chain operating at full capacity.
Natural gas is also a critical feedstock for producing key materials like ammonia, hydrogen, and specialty chemicals used in advanced defense manufacturing. These materials are indispensable inputs for innumerable items found in defense systems. The steady supply of domestic American natural gas underpins the entire ecosystem of defense manufacturing, strengthening production readiness and enabling modernization efforts.
The low cost of natural gas – approximately 1/3rd the price of electricity – makes defense manufacturing more affordable, giving us a stronger, more prepared military than would otherwise be possible. Of course, the strategic benefits of domestic natural gas extend beyond cost and reliability. By sourcing energy from home, the U.S. reduces dependence on foreign energy that is all too often held by hostile powers, and supply chains dependent on potential adversaries. That means fewer geopolitical vulnerabilities and greater operational flexibility. For a military built to project power globally, assured energy supply at home is a prerequisite.
Natural gas is not just a fuel – it’s a force multiplier. It helps ensure bases can operate through any conditions, drives manufacturing, and underpins the energy security that allows America’s armed forces to act quickly and decisively when it matters most.
As we look toward a future of synthetic fuels and next-generation technologies, the indispensable role of natural gas in defense today cannot be overlooked. It is the invisible engine behind readiness, resilience and response.