In 1945, the United States completed its greatest triumph over foreign tyrants. Winning World War II was truly a national achievement – even Americans who did not serve in the military were expected to contribute to the war effort. Reviving some of this spirit before another major war breaks out could help prepare America to win.
Americans on the home front during World War II sacrificed in many ways. They grew Victory Gardens, which by 1944 accounted for 40% of fresh vegetables grown in the U.S. They donated metal from pots and pans to wrought iron fences to make ships, tanks and airplanes. And to save vital materials like gasoline and rubber, they carpooled – a poster from the war years even read, “When you ride alone you ride with Hitler.” This highlights how important oil was for defeating the Axis. As Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz put it, “Winning the war is a matter of oil, bullets and beans.”
Today, the U.S. military also needs vast quantities of oil. The Department of Defense is the number one energy consumer in the United States and the largest bulk fuel purchaser in the federal government. Its oil consumption will only increase if China invades Taiwan and America comes to the defense of a beleaguered ally. With the rapid closing of the “Davidson window,” short for the near-term threat of an attack on Taiwan, the more the U.S. can do to stockpile oil for military use, the better.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is at its lowest point since the 1980s. Despite this, the Trump administration announced in June that it did not intend to refill it any time soon. It has also significantly reduced federal support for non-fossil sources of energy.
Remote work can provide a boost
This increases the risk that America will have to scramble to get enough oil for its ships and aircraft during a war. In a 2021 article in Proceedings, Andrea K. Orlowski, deputy director of engineering at the U.S. Military Sealift Command, warned that in a naval war with China the U.S. would likely run out of fuel first. She pointed to a lack of refining capacity on the West Coast as a major reason. And this was before the Biden administration tapped into the SPR in 2022 in response to high domestic gasoline prices.
Saving oil should be as much of a national priority as drilling for more of it on American soil. One way to save is to maximize teleworking by all Americans who can do their jobs remotely. The fewer people who have to drive to work, the more oil will be saved, and by extension will be available for the military. Discussions of teleworking often focus on the general economic and social aspects of remote work, such as productivity and job satisfaction. Now we can add the opportunity to help America prepare for a war. The government had the opportunity to promote sacrifice of oil during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It would have been highly apropos during a war in the oil-rich Middle East for Washington to encourage Americans to reduce their consumption of petroleum products. New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman, for example, advocated a large increase in the federal gasoline tax in 2003. Unfortunately, the Bush administration did not see fit to advocate such sacrifice.
Top priority — rescinding executive order
The Trump administration can get a head start on preparing for a lengthy war with China by rescinding its executive order ending remote work for federal employees. Encouraging federal employees to telework can then be extended to the workforce at large. The administration can pair encouragement of telework with a decision to begin refilling the SPR.
Telework can have a meaningful impact. A 2023 policy brief by EconPol found that in April and May of that year, the average worker in the United States worked from home 1.4 days per week. Using this data, the International Energy Agency estimated in that remote work in the U.S. reduced oil consumption by 500,000 barrels per day. In fiscal 2020, even with U.S. military’s fuel consumption down about 10% due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Defense still consumed nearly 78 million barrels of petroleum products, or more than 213,000 per day.
Unless the United States experiences a major, direct attack like the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Americans may not be willing to give up many material goods for a war effort. But while a Chinese attack on Taiwan will not resonate with Americans as much as an attack on American soil, the U.S. has a vital national interest in defending Taiwan from Chinese aggression. Teleworking is a step America can take to be ready to defeat China without causing a large amount of political pushback.
