The Pentagon reportedly is concerned about plans by the Biden administration to expand offshore wind projects along the mid-Atlantic coast, warning that nearly all of the new territory conflicts with military operations.
Maps shared with industry stakeholders show vast "red" areas the Navy and Air Force have deemed "highly problematic," covering areas the Interior Department earmarked for leasing off the coasts of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware, according to Bloomberg, which viewed the maps.
The Department of Defense concerns — along with other conflicts identified by the Coast Guard — are worrying renewable power developers and states counting on mid-Atlantic wind farms to meet clean energy and climate goals, Bloomberg reported.
The Pentagon's opposition could imperil President Joe Biden's bid to install 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power — equivalent to 30 nuclear reactors — by the end of the decade, new state goals for the development and planned manufacturing facilities in Maryland and Virginia, Bloomberg reported.
The Pentagon identified challenges in operating around wind turbines that would be installed into the seabed in Atlantic waters near many of its operations and facilities, including North Carolina's Dare County bombing range used for training fighter jet crews, and a weapons station in Yorktown, Virginia, according to Bloomberg.
Four of six potential wind lease areas outlined by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in November are completely shaded red; two tracts, shaded yellow, are identified as requiring further study. The areas considered high priority by the Pentagon span a large portion of potential lease areas off the Maryland and North Carolina coasts.
The ocean energy bureau, however, has been confident it could resolve the dispute, stating it "has a long working relationship" with the Defense Department "and together we have successfully deconflicted and identified areas that have resulted in 27 leases along the Atlantic coast, covering over 2.1 million acres," Bloomberg reported. "We will continue this collaboration as we seek to identify new lease areas in the central Atlantic."
JC Sandberg, the American Clean Power Association's chief advocacy officer, told Bloomberg the industry is "fully committed to national security" and coexisting with other ocean users.
"Leasing in the central Atlantic is critical to growing the offshore wind industry to meet state and federal clean energy goals," and to sustaining supply chain investments in the region, he told Bloomberg. "The Department of Defense staff's maps serve as a stark reminder that there's work to do. We need a coordinated, all-of-government approach to offshore wind to ensure that the industry can grow while protecting national security interests at the same time."
Offshore wind leasing along the mid-Atlantic is seen as essential for potential projects to support planned investments in manufacturing facilities in the region, including the planned Sparrows Point Steel factory near Baltimore, according to Bloomberg.
Offshore wind advocates argue that a shift to renewable power sources helps shrink reliance on volatile commodities for energy and, in turn, strengthens national security.
"Offshore wind can enhance national security," Sandberg told Bloomberg, "by providing a clean and affordable source of energy protected from the whims of global commodity prices."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.