A reliable grid delivering abundant, affordable electricity is necessary for economic development and national security – as the U.S. power grid underpins the entire spectrum of military operations. Reliable electricity powers essential defense operations including manufacturing, supply distribution, communication, command and control, and intelligence, which are critical to the success of U.S. military missions.

As the world adjusts to a changing energy landscape and new technologies, a lack of adequate transmission jeopardizes America’s ability to provide power to military installations and maintain its technological leadership.

Currently, the DoD is the largest consumer of energy in the U.S. government, relying heavily on state and regional grids surrounding each installation to provide power for its operations. As the DoD moves away from vulnerable supply chains and embraces a diverse energy portfolio, the power and performance of the grid becomes increasingly essential.

Reliable and affordable power will be necessary to support America’s reindustrialization and our national security. SAFE’s Center for Grid Security provides policy analysis and recommendations to build out the national power grid – ensuring America’s energy and national security.

• Actively engages with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Department of Energy (DoE), the Department of Defense (DoD), and state commissions to support a reliable grid as power demand continues to grow;
• Supports market reforms to ensure resource adequacy and compensation for generator performance and availability; and
• Provides support for additional cyber and physical security standards to ensure a safe and reliable grid.

• Building a robust national transmission network to accommodate growing energy supply and demand.
• Ensuring a resource generation mix that maintains adequate reserve margins, necessary fuel assurance, and reliability in power generation that meets market demand and future load growth.
• Constructing a market structure that compensates generators for their performance in meeting peak demand.

Current permitting processes delay essential energy infrastructure, compromising national defense, economic stability, and America’s competitive edge—with essential projects taking up to 10-20 years to build. Comprehensive permitting reform to support an all-of-the-above energy strategy is imperative for the nation’s security and prosperity – meeting the objectives of the Trump administration.

Modern warfare is digitized, electrified, and accelerating. As China races ahead, planning to invest another $800+ billion in grid expansion, it’s clear that it understands what the United States must now recognize: electric power is national power. America cannot fight and win tomorrow’s battles with yesterday’s grid, and reshoring defense-critical industries—from aluminum smelting to advanced manufacturing— will depend on abundant, affordable, and firm power delivered over a modern transmission system. Learn more about how transmission is mission critical here.

Danielle Russo is an innovative leader and policy expert focused on aligning energy programs and policy with national interests. Danielle has worked extensively on transmission expansion for national security and overall grid security and resilience planning.

She spent four years as a senior analyst and policy writer supporting the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy Resilience and Optimization (ODASD ER&O), where she focused on policy development and decision making for enhancing military installation energy resilience. While there she worked extensively on various efforts, including energy resilience exercises, energy project planning tools, government partnerships, defense critical electric infrastructure, and more.

Her previous experience also includes supporting energy security programs for the U.S. Marine Corps, Army, and Army Reserve.

In 2020, Danielle won a Federal Energy and Water Management Award for her work supporting black start exercises at military installations. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Technology from the University of Maryland.