In a hearing before the Senate Armed Service Committee last Wednesday, Biden’s Energy Secretary, Jennifer Granholm, made a rather astonishing pronouncement. She said the Biden White House’s goal was to transition the US military to a 100% electric vehicle fleet by 2030.

ERNST: Do you support the US military adopting EV fleet by 2030?

GRANHOLM: I do, and I think we can also get there as well. And I do think that reducing our reliance on globally traded fossil fuels, when we know that global events such as Ukraine can jack up prices for people back home, it does not contribute to energy security. Energy security is achieved when we have home grown clean energy is abundant, like in Iowa, and we can be a leader globally in how we become energy independent.

This, to put it with maximum Christian charity, is just f***ing insane.

I’m assuming that Granholm is talking about the Defense’s fleet of 170,000 non-tactical cars and trucks for the 2030 target date. Defense has set a goal of converting all of its wheeled vehicles, tactical, like the HMMWV and MRAP, as well as non-tactical to electric. I don’t know if anyone has thought through how that works when you deploy them to countries like Afghanistan, where electricity is a novelty, but I’m confident that having them function in combat is a lot less important to the goobers running this country than the good feeling of saving the planet. According to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks:

“Electric vehicles are quiet. They have a low heat signature and incredible torque, and because they tend to be low maintenance with fewer moving parts, they have the potential to reduce logistics requirements.”

She’s right. They make no sound and give off zero heat when their batteries die.

At times, Joe Biden, in his flights of demented phantasmagoria, has talked about electric tanks.

Granholm fits in well in the Biden regime. She’s not terribly bright, she has ethical problems out the wazoo (who thought it was a good idea to appoint someone with personal investments in electric vehicles to oversee regulations about electric vehicles?), and she’ll mouth any slogan she’s told to. See In the Biden Administration, Incompetent Cabinet Members Are a Feature, Not a Bug.

Granholm claims building electric vehicles insulates us from dependence upon foreign energy sources; that, if you recall, is where we were in 2020  Energy independent. However, hearing her claim that electric vehicles on military bases will somehow protect consumers from oil price hikes left me feeling a lot like Richard Belzer’s John Munch character.

Det. John Munch: You’re saving your really good lies for some smarter cop, is that it? I’m just a donut in the on-deck circle. Wait until the real guy gets here. Wait until that big guy comes back. I’m probably just his secretary. I’m just Montel Williams. You want to talk to Larry King.

Bernard: I’m telling you the truth.

Det. John Munch: I’ve been in murder police for ten years. If you’re going to lie to me, you lie to me with respect. What is it? Is it my shoes? Is it my haircut? Got a problem with my haircut? Don’t you ever lie to me like I’m Montel Williams. I am not Montel Williams. I am not Montel Williams.

Bernard: Who’s Montel Williams?

Det. John Munch: I’m not Montel Williams.

Oil price increases would pale by comparison to dependency on electric vehicles. The US will forever be dependent upon foreign countries for electric batteries. Chinese companies dominate the market for electric vehicle batteries. With the assistance of the Chinese government, these companies are at the apex of a vertical monopoly that controls most of the materials required of electric vehicle batteries all the way through their manufacture. The absolute dominance of, and our dependence upon, China for electric vehicle batteries is measured by their control of lithium, cobalt, and the rare earths necessary to manufacture electric vehicles. China is well aware of this and has moved to restrict the export of all “dual use” minerals to the United States.

No matter your stance on the climate change theology, converting Department of Defense vehicles from petroleum, where we have self-sufficiency under presidents who are interested in that, to dependence upon materials and products bought from our most likely adversary is beyond stupid. But it is in keeping with the way the Biden White House operates.