On 10 August, Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh announced the establishment of the Energy Initiatives Office (EIO) Task Force to help address the rising energy security challenges, escalating fuel prices, and stricter Federal energy mandates facing the Army. The task force is part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment and will centrally manage the development of large-scale renewable energy projects for the Army.

Army installations have been interested in building renewable energy infrastructure, but they often lack the expertise needed to develop these projects. Through the task force, the Army plans to conduct an aggressive outreach effort to attract and engage private industry to foster strategic and financial collaborations in support of the Army's installation energy needs. (The Army's current goal is to have 25 percent of its energy coming from renewable sources by 2025.)

The renewable energy that the Army needs to produce in order to achieve enhanced energy security is estimated to require an investment of up to $7. 1 billion over the next 10 years. This investment would generate 2. 1 million megawatt hours of power for the Army each year.