In an era where blackouts caused by extreme weather or sabotage have become a stark reality, U.S. military bases are preemptively flipping the switch to ensure operational readiness during power outages. According to MIT News, the Pentagon’s latest strategy involves Energy Resilience Readiness Exercises (ERREs) that simulate grid failures, a move that's about as close as you can get to an actual blackout without weather having to play a role.
These drills are no walk in the park. During an ERRE, a base is deliberately disconnected from the electric grid to fully test how well it can continue to function. Exercises can last up to 15 hours, with the base personnel largely left to independently navigate the resulting challenges. Jean Sack, the mind behind the program along with colleagues Christopher Lashway and Annie Weathers, expressed surprise at the range of acceptance for what some might consider a drastic measure, stating, "No one thought that this kind of real-world test would be accepted. We’ve now done it at 33 installations, impacting over 800,000 people."
The logic underpinning these exercises stems from a concerning report by the Department of Energy, revealing that 70 percent of the nation's transmission lines are nearing the end of their expected life span. This aging infrastructure is a ticking time bomb that threatens to set off a domino effect of failures, jeopardizing the reliability not just of civilian power but of mission-critical military operations too.
Preparation for these forced outages is meticulous, requiring the Lincoln Laboratory team to meticulously coordinate with base personnel. This groundwork is instrumental in both ensuring safety and bringing to light any previously overlooked vulnerabilities. "We get people together who may never have spoken before, but depend on one another. We like to say ‘connecting mission owners to their utility providers,'" Lashway, once an electrician and now an energy-systems researcher, told MIT News. Each outage exercise uncovered issues ranging from dependency on unstable backup power to communication breakdowns due to outdated or inadequate battery systems.
In the broader scope of enhancing military readiness, these drills have had tangible outcomes. Congress took notice, enacting a law that now mandates each military branch to carry out a minimum of five Black Start Exercises annually through 2032. The initiative has also sparked a form of inter-service rivalry, with installations striving to push beyond the baseline requirements of the exercises. The focus of the program has since expanded to include long-term power sustainability, like developing microgrid systems that could provide a more self-reliant energy source for bases.
Beyond the tactical advantages for the military, these exercises hold potential benefits for civilian communities as well. They've helped to lay down groundwork for how cities and public safety entities could better handle power disruptions. During one particular exercise in Georgia, the local population relied on a base's power plant, turning the simulation into a joint civilian-military resilience test. As the Pentagon continues these blackout drills, the ultimate payoff will be a more resilient and robust defense infrastructure that's well-equipped to handle the unexpected.
