Part 3 of 4 Parts (Please read Parts 1 and 2 first)
     Despite the dismal record of cold fusion and lack of interest in funding research, the U.S. Department of Defense has maintained an interest in LENR research up to the present. Previously, the Navy conducted LENR research at the Systems Command (SPAWAR) Systems Center – Pacific. Steve Krivit is an LENR subject matter expert and author. He has said that SPAWAR “produced some of the most interesting experiments and observations in the field and published more LENR papers in mainstream journals than any U.S. LENR group.” LENR research at SPAWAR was ended in 2011.
     In 2009, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) published a report on LENR research. In the report, they stated that based on the available scientific data from around the globe, “nuclear reactions may be occurring under conditions not previously believed possible.” The DIA report stated that Italy and Japan lead global research on LENR. Unfortunately, the stigma associated with the subject in the U.S. means that most of the information about LENR research is presented at international conferences, with U.S. data in the hands of foreign researchers.
     The DIA ultimately concluded in their 2009 report that “if nuclear reactions in LENR experiments are real and controllable, whoever produces the first commercialized LENR power source could revolutionize energy production and storage for the future and that the potential applications of this phenomenon, if commercialized, are unlimited.” The report goes on to say that LENR could lead to batteries that could last for decades. That would revolutionize power for sensors and military operations in remote areas and/or space. “The military potential of such high-energy-density power sources is enormous.” This could potentially lead to one of “the greatest transformation of the battlefield for U.S. forces since the transition from horsepower to gasoline power.”
     The DoD is very interested in new forms of energy production and storage. Energy and fuels are one of the most important logistical challenges for military operations in remote locations or areas of conflict. Establishing supply chain infrastructure can be a major problem. The DoD has been reviewing a variety of new forms of energy production. These include modular solar energy units, miniaturized nuclear reactors, and beamed energy from space to the battlefield. In addition, DoD-associated contractors have recently been bragging about progress in nuclear fusion technologies as have rivals of the U.S. on the international scene. Obviously, energy has become one of the most critical subjects for defense research and development. A potential energy revolution has the potential to upset the global power balance with respect to nations’ abilities to project their power in conflict zones and remote, contested areas.
      The U.S. Naval Institute journal Proceedings published an article in the September 2018 issue that suggested that LENR research could lead to a wide ranges of new technologies including near-room-temperature superconductors and new energy dense power sources that could permit “near-indefinite loiter times” and “facilitate a wide range of subsurface swarm tactics for offensive, defensive, reconnaissance, decoy, or diversionary purposes.” The article includes a list of some other potentially revolutionary applications for LENR energy sources, providing that they are ever developed.
Please read Part 4 next