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Lawmakers press services on microgrids, operational energy and installation resilience after extreme weather
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Summary
Members pressed service leaders on microgrid investments, operational energy and protections for bases after weather‑related losses to civilian grids; witnesses highlighted microgrid pilots, cyber‑hardening and interest in emerging small nuclear reactors for isolated sites.
WASHINGTON — Subcommittee members pressed military witnesses about installation resilience after storms, grid failures and the risks those events pose to readiness.
Representative McElfreth told the panel that bases are increasingly vulnerable and asked what the services are doing to achieve energy independence. General Mahoney and other witnesses cited existing microgrid projects at Miramar, Yuma, Parris Island and Camp Lejeune and said those systems enabled continued operations during outages. Mahoney said Miramar’s microgrid ‘‘powered my flight line for tactical flight operations.’’
Witnesses emphasized redundancy: multiple power paths, storage and cyber hardening of SCADA systems. Lieutenant General Spain said the Air Force has started housing requirements analyses at rural bases such as Holloman and reiterated that microgrid and resilience investments are ‘‘not only an environmental gesture, but a military gesture to safeguard our energy resources.’’ Members asked for specific low‑cost, high‑impact initiatives the committee could support in authorization and appropriations bills.
Lawmakers also asked about emerging technologies. Witnesses said they are examining advanced batteries, thermal systems and micro‑reactors for remote locations like Kwajalein and Fairbanks. The subcommittee requested follow‑up on an inventory of critical installations lacking resilient generation and on plans to cyber‑harden control systems.
