Recent blackouts in Texas show the need for the Pentagon to help secure the nation’s electrical grid, according to a Defense News op-ed written by two scholars at the think tank RAND Corporation. The authors are senior operations research analyst Beth Lachman and senior physical scientist Aimee Curtright.

“DOD has already begun innovative and strategic activities to install renewable energy, microgrids, battery storage and other projects that help increase installation resilience,” they write. “Such projects could serve as models for collaboration between private industry and state or local governments.”

Helping improve the electrical grid’s reliability in military communities will make installations more resilient and strengthen critical missions, they write.

“Through military and community partnerships… DOD has a unique ability to improve the resilience of the grid and other energy infrastructure for military installations, utilities and surrounding communities, potentially helping to prevent some of the devastation that occurred in Texas from repeating in the future while at the same time benefiting communities and national security.”

Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Tristan D. Viglianco