Brittle Power: Energy Strategy for National Security

The authors argue that U.S. energy policy mistakenly focuses solely on imported oil while ignoring the extreme vulnerability of centralized domestic energy infrastructure. They contend that the only effective protection against asymmetric warfare and terrorism is to redesign the energy architecture to be inherently resilient through efficiency, diversity, and distributed renewable options, rather than relying on hardening targets or intelligence.

• U.S. energy policy is flawed because it views imported oil as the sole security problem and assumes any domestic supply replacement improves security, which leads to the promotion of centralized and vulnerable infrastructures.
• The authors assert that dependence on existing and proposed domestic energy infrastructure is riskier than dependence on Middle East oil, and that the Department of Energy's current approach undermines the antiterrorist goals of the Department of Defense.
• The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System is cited as a prime example of a high-risk target; the authors note that a single shot from an individual once shut down one-sixth of U.S. oil production for 60 hours.
• The authors argue that traditional security measures, such as hardening targets or counterterrorist intelligence, are insufficient against globalized attackers; the only effective solution is to make the energy system's architecture inherently less vulnerable.
• Resilient energy systems are characterized by efficiency, diversity, and distributed generation, which the authors claim are more economic and effective than centralized systems.

APA

Lovins, A. B., & Lovins, L. H. (2001). Brittle Power: Energy Strategy for National Security. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_Preface-to-Brittle-Power.pdf

Chicago

Lovins, Amory B., and L. Hunter Lovins. Brittle Power: Energy Strategy for National Security. RMI, 2001. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_Preface-to-Brittle-Power.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lovins |first1=Amory B. |last2=Lovins |first2=L. Hunter |title=Brittle Power: Energy Strategy for National Security |publisher=RMI |date=2001 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_Preface-to-Brittle-Power.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lovins2001brittle, author = {Lovins, Amory B. and Lovins, L. Hunter}, title = {{Brittle Power: Energy Strategy for National Security}}, publisher = {RMI}, year = {2001}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_Preface-to-Brittle-Power.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }