Energy security

US military bases in Europe depend on Russian energy

Defense Logistics Agency data show that close to 40 percent of oil used at military sites in Germany comes from Russia. In southwestern Germany, for example, the Ramstein Air Base serves as the headquarters for US Air Forces in Europe and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) installation.

US bases need backup power supply to ensure reliable electricity and other energy supplies should a power outage occur, or should the energy supply be compromised, Constance Douris, Vice President of the Lexington Institute, writes.

The backup supply could come from microgrids capable of operating off the main grid, bulk energy storage, and even electric vehicles (EVs) whose batteries can be used to power homes, Douris argues.

Backup solutions for US military bases are imperative in the face of the constantly growing Russian energy supply to Europe, she says.

Russia’s gas giant Gazprom, for example, has been raising its exports to Europe and its gas sales in the first half of this year exceeded 100 bcm for the first time—at 101.2 bcm, they were 5.8 percent higher than the exports in the first half of 2017, the company says.