The Atlantic Council’s Energy & Defense program, housed within the Global Energy Center, advances energy security as a cornerstone of defense. The program aims to strengthen military capabilities, safeguard critical infrastructure, and enhance operational readiness amid evolving global threats. Through research, strategic convenings, and policy engagement, our work explores how emerging energy technologies, resilient supply chains, and integrated defense strategies can ensure a secure and reliable energy foundation for US and allied forces.​
Our Pillars of work
Installation energy security and infrastructure resilience
Military installations face growing threats to their energy infrastructure from cyberattacks, natural disasters, and grid instability. Strengthening on-base generation, storage, and grid integration is critical to ensure mission continuity and base readiness under all conditions.
Operational energy for future warfighting
Electrified platforms, autonomous systems, and high-energy weapons are reshaping the energy demands of modern conflict. Meeting these needs requires next-generation power systems that are mobile, resilient, and capable of sustaining operations in contested environments.
Energy logistics and supply chains in contested environments
Fuel supply lines are increasingly vulnerable to disruption across land, sea, air, and digital domains. Securing energy logistics demands new strategies for distributed resupply, hardened infrastructure, and agile delivery networks in high-risk theaters.
Allied energy interoperability and coalition readiness
Allied forces, such as NATO, depend on coordinated energy strategies to operate jointly across complex battlefields. Aligning fuel standards, infrastructure planning, and resilience strategies enhances coalition effectiveness and collective defense in crisis and conflict.
RESEARCH
Exploring the energy and defense nexus
Working with military leaders, policymakers, and energy experts, the Energy & defense program examines how energy infrastructure, logistics, and technology shape operational readiness, support future warfighting, and strengthen allied cooperation in an era of strategic competition and evolving threats.
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The Global Energy Center develops and promotes pragmatic and nonpartisan policy solutions designed to advance global energy security, enhance economic opportunity, and accelerate pathways to net-zero emissions.