REDUCING NAVAL FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION AT SEA IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Climate change negatively impacts the Navy's ability to conduct its missions and represents a serious threat to the safety, sovereignty, and future prosperity of the United States. In his Executive Order 14008 dated 27 January 2021, President Joe Biden remarked that current climate considerations are essential to U.S. foreign policy and national security. The Department of Defense is one of the largest single consumers of fossil fuel in the United States. For example, in 2020 the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) procured over $3.3 billion in fuel for the Navy. It will be the view in this thesis that the motivation and the means exist today, more so than any other point in the Navy's history, to decrease fossil fuel use while increasing operational readiness, and that Navy surface small-combatant ships currently consume more fossil fuel in their daily operations than would otherwise be permitted through the implementation of certain fuel conservation technologies. That is, by updating the fleet the Navy can reduce fossil fuel use and carbon emissions.Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited