{"id":15671,"date":"2017-11-29T19:39:08","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T19:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2017\/11\/29\/pentagon-weighs-new-requirements-to-secure-militarys-vulnerable-power-grid\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:31:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:31:03","slug":"pentagon-weighs-new-requirements-to-secure-militarys-vulnerable-power-grid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/reagan-defense-forum\/2017\/11\/29\/pentagon-weighs-new-requirements-to-secure-militarys-vulnerable-power-grid\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon weighs new requirements to secure military\u2019s vulnerable power grid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2013 In a bid to shore up an increasingly vulnerable energy grid around its military installations, Pentagon is considering putting new requirements into infrastructure contracts across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lucian Niemeyer, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment, believes the energy grids that provide power to American installations is a particularly vulnerable point, and told Defense News in a November interview that he intends to address that issue any way he can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here to find out what the most efficient and effective way we can get toward providing resilient power, [and] to provide redundant power to be able to allow us to continue to operate in case something happens to the grid,\u201d Niemeyer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any changes to the way military installations handle power will naturally take a while. In Niemeyer\u2019s words, \u201cit\u2019s not something that can happen in a year.\u201d But there are a few things his office is looking at to begin tackling the two key challenges on the table when it comes to securing the military\u2019s power grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first challenge is external, as the bases rely on the towns and cities around them to provide power and other resources. Those utilities are often more vulnerable to a cyberattack or terrorism than military installations; shutting down the local power grid that supplies energy to Fort McNair could be as effective as targeting the base itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That issue is part of a broader focus on cybersecurity being championed from both Niemeyer\u2019s team and individuals at U.S. Cyber Command, and was one that received some focus from previous Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.<\/p>\n\n\n\t