President Joe Biden’s newest bid to make the American military “climate-friendly” wouldn’t just weaken our military advantage, it would put Red China in control.
During a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was asked by Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst whether she supports efforts by the Biden administration to make the U.S. military an “EV [electric vehicle] fleet by 2030,” to which Granholm replied, “I do, and I think we can get there, as well.”
“I do think that reducing our reliance on the volatility of globally traded fossil fuels where we know that global events like the war in Ukraine can jack up prices for people back home… does not contribute to energy security,” Granholm claimed. “I think energy security is achieved when we have homegrown, clean energy that is abundant.”
Granholm’s testimony was hardly the first time the Biden administration has outwardly endorsed the idea of overhauling America’s military to fit the left’s unrealistic vision of a so-called “environmentally friendly” fighting force. On Earth Day last year, Biden gave a speech in Seattle, in which he laid out his vision of using “billions” of taxpayer dollars to make “every vehicle” in the U.S. military “climate-friendly.” Unsurprisingly, the president failed to explain how he intends to achieve this ludicrous goal.
“I’m going to start the process where every vehicle in the United States military — every vehicle is going to be climate-friendly. Every vehicle,” Biden said. “No, I mean it. We’re spending billions of dollars to do it.”
Last month, Biden signed an executive order titled “Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All,” which stipulates that pursuing so-called “environmental justice” is a “duty of all executive branch agencies and should be incorporated into their missions.” According to Fox News, the order was issued the same day the White House launched an “Environmental Justice Scorecard,” which the administration claims is “the first government-wide assessment of federal agencies’ efforts to advance environmental justice.”
“The administration’s efforts are already being carried out by the Department of Defense,” the Fox report reads. “The scorecard revealed the agency has ‘at least 640 staff that work on environmental justice, either in a full- or part-time capacity.'”
A ‘Green’ U.S. Military Puts China in Control
While leftists obsessed with climate alarmism are undoubtedly thrilled with the Biden administration’s energy-themed “transitioning” of the U.S. military, another likely proponent of the policy is Red China.
As The Federalist’s Tristan Justice previously reported, Beijing controls the vast majority (up to 70 or 80 percent) of key materials and components needed to make electric car batteries, including electric motor magnets. The supply of rare earth minerals, several of which are needed to construct these batteries, is also heavily dominated by China.
“China either directly controls the battery components or has secured long-term agreements with their respective producers to effectively control the markets for its necessary metals,” a recent Federalist report reads. “As a result of how China has positioned itself in any major transition to electric vehicles, it could not only be the world’s exclusive EV battery manufacturer, but it could very well be the sole manufacturer of the EVs themselves.”
In other words, if the U.S. military revolutionizes its automobiles to meet Biden’s impractical demands, it would put the military’s core infrastructure needed for combat and national defense in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.
A National Security Disaster
Whether it’s incompetence or negligence, Biden’s bid to compel service members to rely on unreliable and lower-quality tactical vehicles during military operations would give the Chinese government greater influence over America’s armed forces. If the United States were to get involved in a major, armed conflict, a “climate-friendly” military in need of the batteries and components required to power these new automobiles would largely be dependent on markets dominated by Chinese state-owned enterprises.
Moreover, using EVs during military operations is wholly impractical. Unlike gas-powered vehicles, which can be filled up and used within several minutes, EVs often require extensive time to fully charge. According to Kelley Blue Book, for example, many of the new electric vehicles produced today “can take up to 12 hours to charge using a Level 2 outlet.” Gas-powered vehicles furthermore remain superior when it comes to mileage and repair costs.
Transitioning the military into a “green” fighting force would both outsource America’s military hardware to its greatest adversary and damage its readiness and capabilities. But as with other disastrous policies, Biden will continue ahead without a second thought.