QDR and Energy

House authorizers are pressing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to ensure that the Pentagon's upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review includes energy-security assessments.

Language urging the Defense Department to address the issue is tucked in the June 7 report that accompanies the House Armed Services Committee's fiscal year 2014 defense authorization bill. “The committee believes an essential element of any defense plan is the importance of energy security as a fundamental component of the Department of Defense’s ability to project power and enable combat capability for operations,” the report states.

The FY-12 Defense Authorization Act defined energy security as “having assured access to reliable supplies of energy and the ability to protect and deliver sufficient energy to meet mission essential requirements.” The report directs Hagel to ensure that the final QDR report, due to Congress early next year, “includes details regarding the importance of, and funding necessary to achieve, energy security.”