Visualized: The Energy of the United States Military

Oil,
Transportation,

Cody Good March 4, 2022

War and preparation for it are fossil fuel intensive activities. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is the single largest institutional consumer of petroleum on the planet.

If the US military were a country, it would be one of the largest fuel-purchasing countries on the planet.

Department of Defence Vehicle Consumption

Nearly 80% of the fuel purchased by every branch of the US military is jet fuel.

The Air Force consumes more than half of all the military’s operational energy, with various types of planes consuming the most.

The top military vehicles are large consumers of fuel, burning much more fuel per distance than average commuter vehicles.

Estimated Annual DOD Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Emissions of the military have been going down over time. This is due to both an overall decrease in energy consumption by the military and shifting to lower-emission energy sources.