The Navy's goal of having a green fleet carrier strike group by 2016 is aggressive, Rear Adm. Kurt Kunkel, commander of the Defense Energy Support Center, said during a briefing at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition May 4.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus set forth the goal last year that would see the Navy use ships powered by nuclear energy or biofuels. "We have recognized that alternative fuels and renewable energies are the growth market for the services. Therefore, as a service provider, we need to be postured to support that," Kunkel said. The strike group is expected to demonstrate local operations by 2012.
"You sort of have to walk before you can run, and we are at the crawl stage," Kunkel said.
The Navy consumes about 10 percent of the aviation fuel in the United States, meaning a green solution would also have to be intertwined with the civilian sector.
"We want to make sure that whatever fuel solution we have for the services that there is a viable connection to the civilian aviation sector. We can't go at this alone," Kunkel said.
The Department of Defense fuel bill has spiked since 2006, coinciding with the up-and-down prices of oil. In 2008, the Navy had a $20 billion fuel bill, up from $13 billion one year earlier.
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