Pentagon battles high fuel costs

Gas-guzzling vehicles, hulking aircraft challenge military ingenuity

NEW YORK (Reuters) — Tens of thousands of U.S. military vehicles, ships and aircraft are guzzling fuel every day around the world and with the bill rising the Pentagon is trying harder to conserve.

The U.S. military consumed 144.8 million barrels of fuel in 2004, spending $6.7 billion, according to the Defense Energy Support Center.

Last year, it consumed only 128.3 million barrels, but spent $8.8 billion, as the average price per barrel rose by almost 50 percent to more than $68.

For 2006, the energy support center estimates the military will need 130.6 million barrels and pay more than $10 billion for it, at a price of more than $77 per barrel.

“The U.S. Army burned 12 times more fuel per soldier in Iraq than it did in France in 1944 — nine gallons of fuel per soldier per day in 2004,” said Carlton Meyer, a former Marine officer who runs G2mil Quarterly, a Web site on military issues. “Another problem is that truck fuel tankers are easy to identify and destroy by enemy guerrillas.”

Reuters