National Security Implications of New Oil and Gas Production Technologies

In a 2013 address to the United Nations General Assembly, President Barack Obama announced that the United States would continue to safeguard the “free flow of energy... to the world,” even as the shale revolution ushers in an unprecedented increase in oil and natural gas production here at home. New oil and gas production technologies, such as hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling, and deepwater drilling, have already begun to redraw the map of energy production. Because oil is traded in a global market, increased domestic production does not insulate the U.S. from supply shocks and price volatility. But even if the move toward “energy independence” makes little difference to U.S. national security, changes in the geography of energy production could still have an important impact.

A major new study investigates how changing trade flows and energy revenues affect U.S. national security via two potential mechanisms: shifts in U.S. bilateral relationships with oil-exporting countries and disruptions in regional security. Join us as the lead researcher, Eugene Gholz, presents the findings, followed by comments and discussion among experts in the field.