Energy, Climate, and National Security

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) maintains more than 5,000 sites across more than 500 installations globally, covering more than 27.7 million acres, with a planned replacement value of nearly $830 Billion. Energy also plays a key enabling role to the DoD, and the Department is the largest single user of energy. Because climate change and energy disruptions could affect the mission capabilities, performance, and life cycle costs in the DoD, our group develops models for evaluating resilience challenges and options under non-stationarity and deep uncertainty. We also model the impact of new technologies on operations and capabilities.

 

Selected Research Outputs

  • Journal Paper: Samaras, C., Nuttall, W., Bazilian, M. (2019). Energy and the Military: Convergence of Security, Economic, and Environmental Decision-Making. Energy Strategy Reviews. 26, 100409 [Open Access Version].

  • Policy Essay: Samaras, C., Bazilian, M., Nuttall, W. (2019). Energy and the Military: Leading By Example. Yale Global. Yale University, May 21, 2019. [Web]

  • Policy Essay: Goldstein, A., Samaras, C. (2017). Dire Straits: Strategically-significant international waterways in a warming world. In Epicenters of Climate and Security: The New Geo-Strategic Landscape of the Anthropocene, C. Werrel and F. Femia (eds.), Washington, D.C.: Center for Climate and Security. [Download]

  • RAND Report: Samaras C., Costello R., DeLuca P., Guerra S.J., Kuhn K, Narayanan A., Nixon M., Pettyjohn S.L., Sweeney N., Vesely J.V., Burgette L.F. (2016). Improvements to Air Force Strategic Basing Decisions. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, RR-1297-AF, 2016 [Download]

  • Policy Essay: Samaras, C. (2015). U.S. Military Basing Considerations during a Rebalance to Asia: Maintaining Capabilities under Climate Change Impacts. In The U.S. Asia-Pacific Rebalance, National Security and Climate Change, C. Werrel and F. Femia (eds.), Washington, D.C.: Center for Climate and Security. [Download]

  • RAND Report: Samaras, C., Willis, H.H., Capabilities-Based Planning for Energy Security at Department of Defense Installations, Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, RR-162-RC, 2013. [Download]

  • RAND Report: Samaras, C., Haddad, A., Grammich, C., Webb, K.W., Obtaining Life-Cycle Cost Effective Facilities in the Department of Defense, Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, RR-169-OSD, 2013. [Download]