One of the largest weaknesses of the U.S. military is its dependence on fuel. During the Global War on Terror, fuel convoys were easy targets for insurgent attacks. They will likely be targeted in future conflicts as well. This supply chain vulnerability is critical since, without access to fuel, military aircraft cannot maintain air superiority, a major requirement for winning wars.
Last week, the Air Force Operational Energy office awarded a contract to the energy company Twelve to develop the technology necessary to produce jet fuel from air. While this may sound unrealistic, the process is actually fairly straightforward. Indeed, Twelve has already shown that this process can be done at small levels. However, there are significant challenges involved in using this process at scale.
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One of the largest weaknesses for the U.S. military is its dependence on fuel. During the Global War on Terror, fuel convoys were easy targets for insurgent attacks. They will likely be targeted in future conflicts as well. This supply chain vulnerability is critical, since without access to fuel, military aircraft cannot maintain air superiority, a major requirement for winning wars.