The Air Force released an Energy Flight Plan on Tuesday, which outlines a long-term path toward energy assurance. Because the Air Force is largely dependent on the commercial electric grid, and both cyber and physical threats to that system are increasing, the service wants to ensure the mission can continue in the event of an outage. The 32-page plan focuses on three primary goals: “Improve resiliency, optimize demand, and assure supply,” states a Jan. 17 release. “We need to take a holistic approach to energy projects to provide resilient, cost-effective, cleaner energy solutions to ensure we can continue to operate when our energy supplies are interrupted,” said Miranda Ballentine, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment, and energy. Ballentine approved the plan on Jan. 6. (Read the plan; Caution, large-sized file.)
The U.S. sent Air Force F-16s over central Syria in a show of force following the Dec. 13 killing of two U.S. Army Soldiers and one American civilian interpreter by a gunman linked to the Islamic State group.
