How Much Does the Pentagon Pay for a Gallon of Gas? Essay Example

Thefts of copper cable and wire have exploded. Why? How could these thefts have an effect on energy infrastructure security? How would you prevent these thefts?

According to the United States Department of Energy, thefts of copper cable and wire have exploded primarily due to the increasing value of copper (United States Department of Energy, 2007). Their Infrastructure Security and Energy Restoration report that the supply of copper has been unable to keep up with its demand and to compensate for this, copper recycling programs have become necessary. This makes the commodity an easy target for theft because it is easy for criminals to acquire this copper at various stages of the recycling process. The Department of Energy reports that these thefts demonstrate no clear pattern and that all sectors that use the material frequently are being targeted. Electric utilities are one of these targets.

These thefts have an effect on energy infrastructure security because copper is a necessary component of transformers and utility poles that are needed to service the country. If these are not available, electricity will be compromised, which will cause service disruptions, personal injury and death for the criminals, and have an economic impact. Therefore, it is essential to prevent these thefts. To do so, it is important to fence targeted areas in and provide signs that warn “danger” and “keep out”. Furthermore, these areas should be well lit to deter criminals and increase their fear of being caught. There should also be increased communication between law enforcement and utilities, which may create the possibility of the criminals getting caught during the theft. Lastly, wire and protection equipment can be added to exposed infrastructure to make the actual theft more difficult and attempts can be made to make copper less valuable so the criminals have less of a reason to retrieve it in the first place. This would require additional production or decreasing its demand.

What are the four primary security areas to manage associated with the energy sector infrastructure? In your own words, please provide a one- or two-sentence definition for each of your four primary security areas.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the four primary security areas to manage associated with the energy sector infrastructure include identifying equipment stock pile requirements, re-evaluating and adjusting nationwide protection planning, system restoration, and recovery in response to attacks,developing strategies to reduce vulnerabilities, and developing standardized guidelines for physical security programs (Department of Homeland Security, 2007).

Identifying equipment stock pile requirements includes identifying critical equipment and determining the fastest recovery methods in the event of disruptions, which includes a standardization of equipment to help expedite recovery efforts. It is essential to have this equipment available and ready in the case of an emergency so that emergency problems can quickly be resolved. Re-evaluating and adjusting nationwide protection planning, system restoration, and recovery in response to attacks involves having national recovery efforts match that of local and regional recovery efforts, expeditiously recovering capabilities from disruptions in service. This ensures that the particular emergency response protocol is appropriate. Developing strategies to reduce vulnerabilities involves having enough critical components stockpiled to replace in the event of failure, which includes enough critical components for new initiatives once incorporated. Lastly, developing standardized guidelines for physical security programs is a universal definition of what constitutes criticality, methods to determine vulnerabilities and risk and standard operating procedures for physical security personnel.

Starting on pg. 160 of your text, various “security hardware and/or devices” are described. For example, the first area identified is “Aboveground, Outdoor Equipment Enclosures” contained within the Physical Asset Monitoring and Control Devices category of Security Hardware Devices. I’d like for you to pick one of the identified security hardware or devices, and write a short paragraph that summarizes the highlights/pros/cons of your chosen area. You’re also encouraged to add your own thoughts in addition to what’s described in the text. Outside research is authorized, but not required.

One of the security techniques listed is the use of physical protection areas (Spellman et al., 2010). Typically, these areas are protected by hardware that ensures that only individuals with authorized access will be able to enter. Although a combination of physical protection methods is best, exterior intrusion sensors are useful for keeping out non-employees.

Since it is essential to keep unauthorized personnel out of dangerous and high security areas, equipping these areas with exterior intrusion sensors is an ideal way to keep people out who should not be able to enter a specific area. The three classes of sensors are buried-line sensors, fence-associated sensors, and freestanding sensors, and each has their own strengths and weaknesses. This is a primary advantage of this type of technology because there are different sensors that are available to accomplish different purposes. Furthermore, this is a remote monitoring system, so the operator doesn’t need to be nearby in order for them to activate.

However, a major disadvantage of this technology is that it needs to be continuously updated to retain maximal efficacy. Furthermore, they operate by using wifi, so hackers that wish to intrude upon the facility may be able to do so with ease. To offset the potential for hacking, it is important to upgrade the software and increase firewall protection, but these additional measures are often expensive and therefore not feasible.

Can the use of biodiesel in maritime transport contribute to energy infrastructure security, as opposed to energy security? Think outside the box here.

The use of biodiesel in maritime transport can contribute to energy infrastructure security as opposed to energy security due to the government financial incentives and government regulatory incentives associated with its use. A major advantage of using biodiesel in maritime transport is that bypasses the problems of existing global energy market uncertainty due to restricted fuel supply and the environmental consequences of using fossil fuels. Since there has been a recent increase in investments related to the research of biofuels, this fuel can reasonably be used to contribute to energy infrastructure security.

Energy infrastructure security will increase in part due to the economic incentive that using biofuel provides. Government support for biofuel research is currently between $5 billion and $7 billion and is expected to increase by $16 billion. Therefore, utilizing biofuel will be a secure investment because its use is protected by the government. Since this is the case, the Department of Energy will need to worry less about the funds that are necessary to support this type of venture.

Second, government regulatory incentives will help bring the price for biofuels down. This is therefore preferable to fuel alternatives because it is expected to be more cost efficient. It is expected that support for this effort will increase due to investments from the private sector. Once this initial investment is made by the government, biofuels will become more popular amongst industrial partners that wish to remain competitive. Therefore the security of the energy sector infrastructure will be protected due to the economic value of biofuel.

Think of an oil tanker as infrastructure that moves. What is the biggest threat to it?

Since an oil tanker is infrastructure that moves, it is exposed to a variety of threats. Firstly, due to the conflicts that the United States is currently experiencing with the Middle East in addition to the country’s partnerships with Middle Easter countries for the purpose of drilling, these oil tankers are exposed to terrorist attacks. An example of this came to light in 2011 when security professionals recognized that Al-Qaida, under the instruction of Osama Bin Laden, aimed to blow up U.S. oil tankers (Pearse, 2011). Although this terrorist attack was never carried out, it is an important reminder that oil tankers are at risk and that safety measures should be made to protect them.

Although terrorism is the biggest threat to oil tanks, it is also important to consider other factors that could impact energy infrastructure. Oil tanks are usually expected to deliver oil to ports in a timely manner, but at times this can compromise the safety of the tank and its workers. If the tank does not arrive to its designated port on time, the price of the oil will increase, thus impacting the stability of the infrastructure. However, this will also be the case if the tanker gets into an accident for traveling quickly and carelessly. Furthermore, in this situation, the Department of Energy will need to spend additional funds to clean up an oil spill if an accident occurs. Therefore it is beneficial for the oil tanker to engage in slow and safe travel rather than attempt to speed to the port.

Consider yourself a consultant to a major client on the topic of “maritime security.” What would you tell your client are the three biggest challenges regarding “maritime security”? Please provide a short rationale for each of your three identified challenges.

Although there are many challenges regarding maritime security, the three biggest challenges include preventing piracy at sea, increasing the security at ports, and ensuring that ship personnel are trained to deal with potential accidents that can occur at sea.

Piracy at sea is a major challenge because the only way to defend against it is being prepared. In some cases, this may mean equipping a ship with the latest technology to be able to detect and evade threatening ships in addition to arming ship personnel to defend both themselves and the ship should they not be able to avoid an encounter. Since oil tankers and other ships need to travel a great distance to reach their ports, there is a possibility of encountering pirates at sea who wish to profit from whatever they find on board. Since oil and petroleum are particularly valuable, pirates may find targeting these ships desirable.

Increasing security at ports is necessary because while security at sea can be ensured, it is more difficult to determine whether ports are safe. Many criminals take advantage of the shipment of goods as an opportunity to steal them. Therefore, it is essential to put an end to this. It is recommended that ports that receive shipments of oil and petroleum be well regulated and not allow undocumented ships and personnel to enter the port. It is essential to protect these goods at every stage of the delivery.

Lastly, it is possible for many different types of accidents to occur at sea. If there is a fire or machinery malfunction, it is important for the personnel to know what to do. For example, if the fire is not extinguishable, the personnel must know how to evacuate the ship safely, contact another ship for rescue, and maintain an adequate distance from the ship due to the likelihood of explosion. In addition, if the ship suffers from a machinery malfunction, it is important to have personnel on board who will be able to diagnose and fix the issue. A malfunctioning ship makes it more susceptible to attack, so the personnel must be trained in a manner that will promote safety.

The topic is the interplay of the Department of Defense, U.S. politics, and energy security. So after you do some preliminary research, how would you describe DoD’s dependence upon energy sources…fuel, gas, oil? How does DoD calculate the fully loaded cost of fuel per gallon? How does this level of dependence impact U.S. policy? If you’re an energy security consultant to DoD, what advice/recommendations would you provide?

The Department of Defense is dependent upon energy sources because this is required to fuel ships and planes. Ultimately, energy is what has allowed the department to upgrade its weapons and it is essential for them to continue to develop energy sources if they wish to remain competitive with other countries in times of peace and war. The Department of Defense calculates the fully loaded cost of fuel per gallon depending on the location of the fuel. Military fuel is typically bought for $2.82 per gallon, but can cost $13 per gallon if it is deployed to another location and $42 per gallon if it is transferred between aircrafts (Erwin, 2010).

Since the price per gallon of gas that the Department of Defense pays is highly variable and dependent upon its function, U.S. policy is impacted. As a consequence, fuel is generally higher in price for civilians and there is an increasing need to obtain fuel from overseas to achieve a decrease in the price of oil. Therefore, focus has been placed less on developing new forms of energy and more on obtaining the fuel that currently exists. In the future, this may mean tapping into more of the oil sources that the country has in Alaska in order to reduce the price that is being spent.

If I was an energy consultant to the Department of Defense, I would recommend that the money that is typically spent on fuel be invested in research for alternative fuel sources. In the long run, this will pay off because it will reduce the prices for fuel overall, and since this fuel would be made locally, the price of fuel would be constant and more predictable for defense functions.

We constantly hear, read, or personally experience about how environmental events can impact the energy infrastructure…and by extension, the security of said energy infrastructure. What’s an environmental event that’s had a major impact upon a segment (or segments) of the energy infrastructure? Based on the event you chose, what are at least three steps you would recommend to increase the level of energy infrastructure security…and, as a result, lower the future impact of this same type of environmental event.

A major environmental event that has a direct impact on the energy infrastructure is the decision to continue hydraulic fracturing in order to retrieve fuel sources in the United States. Although many environmentalists are opposed to this process, it does have the potential to positively impact the energy infrastructure by decreasing the price of fuel. Ultimately, this process works by pumping fluids to release fuel that is trapped. Since many oil and gas wells have become dry, this is a useful way to ensure that additional resources can be obtained. However, a lot of water is needed for this process and it is expected that the health of the population will diminish if this practice is continued. Therefore, it is essential to consider other methods that will increase energy infrastructure.

At least three steps that should be made to increase energy infrastructure and prevent the need for fracking include investment in alternative fuel sources, increasing foreign relations with nations that have oil and petroleum, and determining where oil reservoirs lie in the United States and drilling locally. If alternative energy becomes popularized, there will no longer be a need to continue fracking. In addition, the oil that we retrieve does not necessarily have to be from our country. Rather, it is essential to improve our diplomacy with other nations and reach a bargain that will allow us to obtain more affordable fuel. If these first two options fail, it may be necessary to drill domestically, in places such as Alaska, where there are large oil reserves.

Is the energy industry “over-regulated”? Please provide some rationale and insights to substantiate your position.

While in some aspects the energy industry seems over-regulated, in others it seems under regulated. One of the major issues facing the energy industry is that many energy providers have monopolies in certain areas. It is problematic that each local energy company owns their own wires and therefore has exclusive rights to service power to certain areas. This prevents consumers from being able to choose which energy company to partner with. Furthermore, since competition between companies is not possible on this basis, service is often poor. To resolve this problem it is essential for the wires to be purchased by the government, which would increase the regulation of this particular aspect of energy infrastructure. It is necessary for the government to step in to prevent monopolies so that better service can be obtained.

An additional issue that is associated with the under regulation of this industry is that power prices vary from state to state. It is unfortunate that this is the case for the same product and that there is no control over price regulation. In addition, the existing infrastructure prevents the success of new companies, such as those offering wind power, a change to succeed. Regulation will allow customers to decide both who their power providers should be in addition to the type of power that will be used to provide energy to homes and businesses.

References

Department of Homeland Security. (2007). Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources Sector-Specific Plan as input to the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (Redacted). Retrieved from http://www.naruc.org/Publications/Energy_SSP_Public3.pdf

Erwin SI. (2010). How Much Does the Pentagon Pay for a Gallon of Gas?National Defense. Retrieved from http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2010/April/Pages/HowMuchforaGallon ofGas.aspx

Pearse D. (2011). Al-Qaida hoped to blow up oil tankers, Bin Laden documents reveal. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/20/al-qaida-oil-tankers-bin-laden

Spellman, Frank R. & Bieber, Revonna M. (2010). Energy infrastructure protection and homeland security. Government Institutes.

U.S. Department of Energy. (2007). An Assessment of Copper Wire Theftsfrom Electric Utilities. Retrieved from https://www.oe.netl.doe.gov/docs/copper042707.pdf