Our view: Nation's defense

Operation Free is a coalition of military veterans and national security groups dedicated to American energy independence. They want a sustainable national energy policy that weans the United States from dependence on oil from nations that don't share our values and interests, mitigates damages of climate change and provides "green jobs" for young vets after service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I don't see it as a left issue or a right issue," Eckstein said. "I see it as an American issue."

Eckstein and several of her Operation Free colleagues brought their message to Alaska this week.

Primary reliance on a single source of energy -- oil -- forces the United States into the brutal position of paying for both sides of the war on terror.

That's a contradiction that doesn't sit well with retired Lt. Gen. John Castellaw, a 36-year Marine veteran and former helicopter pilot. America's need to free itself from that oil dependence came home to him when he saw a U.S. convoy hit by an IED along the Euphrates River in Iraq. On that occasion, he said, there were no serious injuries. But the smoke and confusion cleared his vision about U.S. oil dependence.

"This nation is going to have to be continually prepared to be involved in these conflicts," he said, to secure our oil supply as well as combat terrorism.

Less reliance on foreign oil means more freedom for our foreign policy -- and more freedom in where and how to deploy our military forces, for what ends and under what conditions.

So how do we get there?

"All-source," said Barbara Bachmeier, an Alaska research consultant and former military intelligence officer. Use fossil fuels, especially natural gas, while ramping up the use of renewable energy sources for both civilian and military uses.

Jonathan Murray, campaign director for Operation Free and another Marine vet, said his coalition has no set percentages of use for any particular fuel. He's willing to let Congress work that out. Operation Free favors a cap on carbon emissions and increasing use of renewable sources and conservation, but also supports more domestic fossil fuel production. Given that it will take decades to make the transition to renewable fuels, we'll need smart, safe production of fossil fuels to continue for the foreseeable future.

Most of all, Murray said, we need leadership from Congress to craft a national energy policy, to set goals. He sees both Alaska senators, Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski, in ideal positions to provide that leadership, coming from a state rich in both fossil fuels and renewable energy sources.

Right now, Congress is playing catch-up on the energy issue. Both the Department of Defense and CIA have identified U.S. dependence on foreign oil and climate change as "threat multipliers" to peace in the world. Castellaw said all the service branches have alternative fuel testing in the works, much of it biofuels for jet engines, marine engines and in light tactical vehicles for the Army and Marines. Military leaders see the need on both strategic and tactical levels for energy independence and more than one fuel source.

The military's initiatives parallel those on state and local levels and in the private sector, where Americans aren't waiting for a national energy policy to drive change.

There are good, green reasons to work toward cleaner energy. And there's the hard fact that we live in a dangerous world where our staggering dependence on oil is a weakness. As Castellaw said before his Anchorage visit this week, energy policy isn't about "polar bears and ice caps. It's about international stability and national security."

BOTTOM LINE: United States needs an energy policy to secure our future.