Kansans should be interested, then, that "Powering America's Defense," a new report from a group of top retired military officials, concludes that America's dependence on fossil fuels - plus its antiquated electrical grid - constitutes "a serious and urgent threat to national security—militarily, diplomatically, and  economically."

Think tank CNA Corporation released the report last month. The authors included a star list of former generals and admirals from all four branches of the military (many of whom also helped put together a 2007 CNA report on climate change and national security).

Additional findings from "Powering America's Defense":

A "business as usual" approach is unacceptably high risk - Fossil fuels will dwindle in supply, experience unpredictable price volatility, and invoke high regulatory penalties. Their continued use will embolden hostile nations and worsen the security risks of climate change.

Energy security is possible through developing energy diversity - "The security and economic stability of the U.S. could be improved greatly through large-scale adoption of a diverse set of reliable, stable, low-carbon, electric energy sources coupled with the aggressive pursuit of energy efficiency."

To watch a video summary of the report, click here.

Highlights from the transmission/ grid findings

"A fragile domestic electric grid threatens our security."

• Blackouts can lead to the failures of important military installations, as well as severe economic losses for the rest of the country.
• Direct attacks that invade grid cybersecurity, plus increasing episodes of extreme weather, also pose risks of long-term outages.
• Many other vital networks - communications, sewer, water, etc. - also depend on grid stability.

A smart grid would maximize and stabilize our energy resources.

Smart grid technologies would "allow power to be used with maximum efficiency, be able to heal the grid in the event of natural disasters and cyber attacks, and allow for all sources of electricity to provide power to the grid."

"Reliability. A unified electrical grid designed around distributed generation nodes and outfitted with the proper technology would provide greater consistency of electrical power. It would assure sources of power necessary to protect our homeland and support deployments."

The cost of grid upgrades are more than worth it in the long run.

No matter what form the upgrades take, the grid is in desperate need of improvement. Additional power sources, transmission facilities, and distribution stations are necessary.

A business-as-usual approach to grid upgrades would cost approximately $1.5 to $1.7 trillion by 2030. Adding efficiency and smart grid technologies do not greatly increase the price, since they lessen the need for building new generation. Adding a heavy emphasis on renewable generation could cost between $2 and $2.5 trillion.

However, grid investments result in substantial economic returns. 75% of the grid costs would be made back through increased efficiency, avoiding new generation, and avoiding the increasingly high cost of fossil fuels.

"The U.S.’s outdated, fragile, and overtaxed national electrical grid is a dangerously weak link in the national security infrastructure."