Скачать или смотреть CSF 2011 | Panel Discussion: Energy and International Security

Panel | Current Strategy Forum | June 7, 2011

As both an important consumer of energy and guarantor of secure international commerce, our nation plays a significant role in the global demand for energy. Countries with large oil reserves include nations in unstable regions of the world, as well as nations disinclined to support free trade, open markets, or the rule of law. Rising demands on the world energy supply from global competitors and developing powers are certain to add considerably to these pressures. This panel will explore the geostrategic environment that will shape international behavior, seek to understand the implications for United States foreign policy and help define the role for the Department of Defense and the Navy in preparing for a future in a world of scarce resources.

Sarah A. Emerson, President, Energy Security Analysis, Inc.
David S. Painter, Georgetown University
Catherine M. Kelleher, University of Maryland
Moderator: Peter Dombrowski, U.S. Naval War College

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"Energy and U.S. National Security: Vulnerability and Opportunity" | June 7-8, 2011

The viability of our economy relies heavily on the continuing supply of energy resources. Increasingly, the United States' national security initiatives have been concerned with challenges and trends associated with the need for continued access to natural resources. In the naval realm, continuing debates over the legitimacy of overlapping sovereign claims to undersea resources remain a potential source of conflict.

One prominent theme of the Maritime Strategy is that the expansion of the global economic system currently underway will create increasing competition for these energy resources and may encourage nations to exert wider claims of sovereignty over greater expanses of ocean, waterways, and natural resources, potentially causing stress to the international system. Our nation's challenge will be to support a secure global maritime system that facilitates the unhindered flow of these vital energy commodities as well as ensuring access to the global commons for other economic components such as exploration and undersea infrastructure while seeking new solutions that reduce dependency on these limited resources.

This Current Strategy Forum explored:
The critical role of energy in international security,
The current and future impact of increasing global demands on natural resources, and
The related vulnerabilities and opportunities for the nation and the maritime services in a more energy constrained environment.

The 62nd annual Current Strategy Forum at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I. was held June 7-8, 2011. The first was held on May 9, 1949 under the title "Round Table Talks," and offered an opportunity for the nation's public servants, scholars, and senior military officers to join the College faculty and students to discuss the future strategy of the United States. Over time the forum expanded to include a cross section of America's civilian leadership to encourage a wide-ranging debate on national and international security. Each year the Secretary of the Navy hosts the Current Strategy Forum to allow an exchange of perspectives among outstanding scholars and leaders from across academia, industry, government and the military.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed are the speakers' own and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Naval War College, the Department of the Navy, the Department of Defense, or any other branch or agency of the U.S. Government.