SECNAV Addresses CNA, NPC

By Chinara Lucas, Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs

April 30, 2010 - WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) spoke at Center for Naval Analysis and National Press Club luncheons on 29 and 30 April in a continued effort to promote the Department's energy initiatives to move the department off its reliance on fossil fuels."We are trying to change the way the Navy gets and uses energy. We are simply too dependent on foreign fossil fuels," said SECNAV Ray Mabus, "we are doing a lot to make sure that we meet this strategic imperative. It is a matter of energy independence. It is a matter of our security."

Mabus outlined a few notable projects the Navy has unveiled in recent years that are working towards the goal of energy independence. The most recent was last week's test of the Green Hornet, a F/A-18 that flew at maximum velocity on a 50/50 blend of aviation fuel and camelina-based biofuel.

Other activities of mention include a geothermal energy installation in China Lake, Calif. that will be capable of powering 41,000 homes within the next couple of years and the launch of the first hybrid ship, the USS Makin Island, that is projected to save up to $250 million in fuel costs over its lifetime.

Navy is also working closely with the Small Business Administration to help direct more energy contracts to small business.

"We need to take advantage of the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of small U.S. companies to not only strengthen the Navy, but also to help bring jobs back to America," explained Mabus.

Additional joint projects include an effort with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the state of Hawaii that is intended to free Hawaii from its 90 percent dependence on foreign oil.

"We would never allow the Navy and Marine Corps to rely on foreign sources to produce the majority of our weapons systems overseas. That would clearly be a security risk. So why do we accept foreign oil?" said Mabus.

Mabus urged attendees to consider that foreign fuel dependency has "significant strategic and tactical implications for our forces." He explained that to provide Sailors and Marines with fuel, a multi-stage convoy must be created and guarded. Mabus said that risks and costs can be reduced if equipment can provide more operational capability.

"To put it simply – fuel independence is about security and warfighting capability." said Mabus.