Retired Senior Military Leaders Urge Interior Secretary Burgum to Revisit Offshore Wind Leases

Dear Secretary Burgum,

As senior military and national security officials who have dedicated our lives in service of our country, we know firsthand how vital energy security is to our national security. We write to express our concern that, in the face of unprecedented electricity demand and rising geopolitical tensions, our failure to take advantage of all energy resources available leaves us vulnerable.

On his first day in office, President Trump rightly declared that it is time to unleash American energy. We are fortunate to live in a country with bountiful resources, including oil, coal, and natural gas, and these industries have consistently powered American life by meeting our electricity needs and growing the economy across the country. Yet one promising technology, available in abundance near key population centers, was set aside: offshore wind.

President Trump’s memorandum paused all new offshore wind leases by withdrawing the entire Outer Continental Shelf from leasing consideration and suspended federal agencies from issuing new permits or approvals for wind projects pending a full policy review. This action runs counter to our national goal of unleashing American energy and becoming entirely energy independent.

Make no mistake: no one single power sector can replace the need for traditional fuel sources like oil and gas. Energy sources should never be viewed as mutually exclusive. That would be a false choice. If we want to make ourselves less dependent on others for fuel, less beholden to geopolitics, and less susceptible to price volatility, we must take advantage of every resource available to us. As an abundant, entirely domestic resource, offshore wind energy must be a part of that equation.

America needs more electricity than ever before. Our five-year load growth forecast has increased by nearly five times over just two years, showing how quickly data centers and the increasing use of electricity to power homes and businesses has changed our energy landscape. This rapid increase in demand has put our electric grid in a precarious position: unless we increase our power generation capacity, over half of our country will experience a heightened risk of blackouts over the next decade.

As a result, it has never been so important that our country is energy independent. When we rely on energy from foreign countries, it leaves us vulnerable to global market shocks outside of our control. Our lives – homes, emergency services, and military facilities – depend on reliable, around-the-clock access to electricity. Anything less jeopardizes our ability to rapidly respond to threats and protect our citizens. If we rely on foreign energy sources to meet our skyrocketing electricity needs, we hand other countries the keys to our power supply.

Our global rivals are already protecting themselves against this liability. China already has 129 offshore wind projects fueling their domestic energy production; the United States has two. In fact, China leads the entire world in all renewable energy sources, far outpacing us in wind and solar energy. This disparity leaves China far better prepared to withstand global shocks to energy and fuel markets than we are, threatening our energy hegemony in the case of an emergency. By halting our own progress, we will fall further behind in the race to develop new energy technology, achieve energy independence, and establish ourselves as the world’s foremost leader in energy.

Increasing domestic production of proven fossil fuel sources will move us in the right direction and protect us from the risks that come with relying on foreign energy. But shirking wind energy, which is already responsible for a tenth of domestic energy generation and has the potential to be a far greater contributor, could undermine American energy dominance and make our country more susceptible to global threats. Offshore wind energy alone has over 4,200 GW of technical resource potential, more than three times our nation’s current electricity demand. Offshore wind provides transformative potential to our domestic energy mix, and embracing it would represent a huge step towards American energy dominance.

Developing the American offshore wind industry is also consistent with maintaining a strong and ready defense force. Our maritime industry in particular stands to gain significantly from offshore wind, with increased demand for shipbuilders providing a robust maritime workforce that can support our armed forces in times of conflict. Already, our armed services work tirelessly with offshore wind developers to ensure that all proposed energy and transmission projects are compatible with our military operations. This partnership between BOEM and DoD is beneficial to protecting our national security interests at home and abroad, particularly as other countries bolster their offshore wind industries.

Energy security is national security, and to keep our country safe, we must pursue an energy policy that truly incorporates every domestic energy source available to us in order to achieve energy dominance. We urge you to ensure that the growing American offshore wind industry becomes a key part of that equation. Doing otherwise only benefits our adversaries and diminishes our readiness to respond to a crisis.

Respectfully,

MajGen Paul Eaton (Ret), USA
MajGen Tammy Smith (Ret), USA
BGen Steven M. Anderson (Ret), USA
SgtMaj Christopher Thomas (Ret), USMC