WASHINGTON — The Pentagon will begin incorporating climate analysis into its war-gaming and analysis efforts as well as featuring the issue as part of its future National Defense Strategy.

The announcement by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin came shortly after President Joe Biden signed a series of executive orders targeting the climate crisis.

The Defense Department “will immediately take appropriate policy actions to prioritize climate change considerations in our activities and risk assessments, to mitigate this driver of insecurity. As directed by the President, we will include the security implications of climate change in our risk analyses, strategy development, and planning guidance,” Austin said in a statement.

Full article, HERE from Navy Times.

And Biden says that all of the vehicles in federal service will be replaced with electric vehicles.

I found a little document that delves into that pretty deeply. It was published by the United States International Trade Commission Journal of International Commerce and Economics December 2018, and the title of the paper is- The Supply Chain for Electric Vehicle Batteries, authorsDavid Coffin and Jeff Horowitz. Here are some ‘interesting facts’ from that document-

On average, cobalt made up about 30 percent of a lithium-ion battery cathode in 2017, but experts expect cobalt content to decline as batteries become more energy dense. Cobalt supplies are limited and, moreover, are concentrated in only a few countries. The Democratic Republic of the Congo produced more than one-half of worldwide cobalt mining in 2016, followed by China and Canada with less than 6 percent each. China is also the main source of cobalt refining, which is necessary before the cobalt is suitable for battery production. Due to cobalt’s relative scarcity, some predict a 20-percent gap between supply and demand in 2025. Cobalt prices increased by 120 percent in 2017; Benchmark Mineral Intelligence’s Caspar Rawles expects prices to rise at a slower pace in 2018–25 as EV manufacturers use long-term supply contracts to stabilize prices. 

Graphite is used in the anode of many EVs. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence expects that the market for graphite in battery anodes will increase from 80,000 metric tons in 2015 to 250,000 metric tons in 2020, thereby driving up the price. Graphite prices did not increase as rapidly in 2017 as other inputs in EV batteries, but could rise rapidly in future years. Nearly two-thirds of natural graphite is mined in China.

According to Deutsche Bank, lithium-ion batteries for EVs accounted for 14 percent of lithium demand in 2015 (and demand has risen since then). The bank predicts that EVs will generate 38 percent of lithium demand by 2025. Some have predicted a shortfall of 100,000 metric tons for lithium by 2025. This scarcity could drive up the lithium’s price and thus the price of battery packs. From January 2016 to January 2018, the price of lithium carbonate in South America more than doubled. Chile and Argentina are the top two global exporters of lithium carbonate.

 Soooo… They are willing to buy 300,000 (appx) electric vehicles putting money in China, the Congo, Chile, Argentina, and Canada’s pockets, while driving the costs of battery packs up even further. 

Yep, that makes a ‘lot’ of sense.

And one more ‘piece’ of the puzzle on why the NG troops will remain in DC through at least March…

“The Acting Secretary of Homeland Security has issued a National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin today after consultation with the intelligence community and law enforcement partners. There is currently a heightened threat environment across the United States that is likely to persist over the coming weeks. DHS does not have any information to indicate a specific, credible plot; however, violent riots have continued in recent days and we remain concerned that individuals frustrated with the exercise of governmental authority and the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances and ideological causes fueled by false narratives, could continue to mobilize a broad range of ideologically-motivated actors to incite or commit violence,” DHS released in a statement Wednesday.

In recent days, riots have raged in Portland, Oregon, and Tacoma, Washington.

Full article, HERE.  Anybody remember the movie Wag the Dog???

Sigh…