Don’t Suppress Military-Led Innovation

The document criticizes the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee's decision to limit the Department of Defense (DoD) from pursuing alternative fuels based on cost comparisons with fossil fuels. It argues that such restrictions stifle military-led innovation, which historically created technologies like the Internet and GPS, and prevents the civilian economy from leveraging energy savings. The author asserts that DoD's leadership in biofuels and efficient platforms could help the U.S. transition away from oil, coal, and nuclear energy by 2050, potentially saving $5 trillion.

• The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 13–12 to prohibit the Department of Defense from purchasing alternative fuels, except for testing, if they cost more than traditional fossil fuels.
• Military-led innovation has historically driven transformative technological shifts, including the development of the microchip, jet-engines, GPS, and the Internet, as well as the Navy's role in transitioning energy sources from sail to nuclear energy.
• According to the study 'Reinventing Fire', the U.S. could transition entirely away from oil, coal, and nuclear energy by 2050, resulting in a $5 trillion cost reduction and improved national security.

APA

Lovins, A. (2012). Don’t Suppress Military-Led Innovation. RMI. https://rmi.org/resources/dont-suppress-military-led-innovation/

Chicago

Lovins, Amory. Don’t Suppress Military-Led Innovation. RMI, 2012. https://rmi.org/resources/dont-suppress-military-led-innovation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lovins |first1=Amory |title=Don’t Suppress Military-Led Innovation |publisher=RMI |date=27 June 2012 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/dont-suppress-military-led-innovation/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lovins2012dont, author = {Lovins, Amory}, title = {{Don’t Suppress Military-Led Innovation}}, publisher = {RMI}, year = {2012}, month = jun, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/dont-suppress-military-led-innovation/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }