Today as we comemorate the 90th anniversary of World War One, it's appropriate to look at the changing role of the military in the US. They are no longer fighting an enemy as much as defending access to resources.
According to a new report from National Priorities Project (NPP), the United States is spending between $97 and $215 billion dollars annually on military action to defend access to oil and natural gas reserves around the globe. The Military Cost of Securing Energy report provides a critical analysis of the military cost of defending U.S.energy concerns overseas. The report estimates that the military spends up to 30 percent of its annual budget to secure access to energy resources internationally.
In 2009 alone, U.S. taxpayers will spend $103.5 billion on military resources used to secure access to petroleum, while investing only $1.26 billion in renewable energy sources. Including Iraq War-related costs doubles this figure to $215.4 billion dollars.
Source: http://www.nationalpriorities.org/auxiliary/energy_security/petroleum_fact_sheets/petroleum_US.pdf
Full report> http://www.nationalpriorities.org/auxiliary/energy_security/full_report.pdf
The US military appetite for oil is also growing exponentially.
During WW2 the US military consumed one gallon of oil per soldier per day. During the Gulf War (1990-91) that grew to 4 gallons per soldier per day.During Bush's war aganst Iraq and Afganistan the rate grew to 16 gallons per soldier per day.
Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy (Hardcover) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0805080643/ref=nosim/?tag=nationbooks08-20
Walter Derzko
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