Brittle Power: Energy Strategy for National Security

This preface to the 2001 re-release of 'Brittle Power: Energy Strategy for National Security' argues that U.S. energy security is compromised by a reliance on centralized, vulnerable infrastructure. The authors contend that domestic energy sources are not inherently secure and that true resilience requires a shift toward diverse, dispersed, and renewable energy systems.

• The authors argue that U.S. policymakers mistakenly believe energy security is solely a matter of replacing imported oil with any domestic supply, which leads to the promotion of centralized and vulnerable energy infrastructures.
• The authors assert that dependence on existing and proposed domestic energy infrastructure is riskier than dependence on Mideast 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 vulnerable target; the authors note that a single shot from an individual shut down one-sixth of U.S. oil production for 60 hours, yet the Homeland Energy Security Bill seeks to increase its throughput.
• The authors conclude that intelligence-based counterterrorism and modest hardening of targets are insufficient; the only effective security is to change the architecture of the energy system to be inherently less vulnerable and to address the root causes of hatred.

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} }