Members of the U.S. Special Operations Command are among the most well-trained and well-equipped warriors in the world, and our nation is rightly proud of that fact. As these noble combatants work diligently around the world every day to hunt America’s enemies, their service keeps us safe and for that we are grateful.
However, as Americans work hard to adapt to the rapidly changing environment and immense challenges posed by the current pandemic, more of them are beginning to appreciate the service that does more than keep us safe; it is a service that literally keeps us all alive. This is the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity—the lifeblood of a modern civilization.
The Foundation’s work should be required reading, immediately, for government leaders tasked with prioritizing the limited assets needed to defend against the SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19. It makes clear that the type of resourcing and prioritization we often provide our military’s special operators must now be directed toward these control room operators.
This includes routine asymptomatic testing, personal protective equipment, and dedicated medical support teams. The brave men and women working in hospitals around the nation won’t be able to perform their lifesaving work without the life sustaining work of the electric utility industry—and they know this.
For example, internationally acclaimed epidemiologist, Dr. Michael Osterholm, who serves as the director of the Center of Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, has been a leading voice in America’s battle against this pandemic.
In his book, “Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs,” Dr. Osterholm wrote that he believes that the father of modern public health is Nikola Tesla, the inventor of the alternating-current induction motor that enabled the widespread use of electricity. The Doctor’s justification for this honor is worth repeating verbatim:
“The advent of electricity brought about quantum leaps in public health and infectious disease control. With electricity and water pumps, safe water supplies could be realized throughout the world. And with running water, effective sewer systems could be put into place. Electricity also brought us refrigeration, the ability to pasteurize milk, vaccine manufacturing, and air conditioning to keep mosquitoes out of our homes and places of work. It revolutionized medical practice through the invention of X-ray and other imaging technology, diagnostic equipment, mechanical ventilators, and more.”
The Commission’s estimates were based on an observation of America’s population during the pre-electricity era when our land mass supported approximately 30 million people. While some have scoffed at this frightening figure, Dr. Osterholm’s book further illuminates the miracle that electricity provided humanity:
“In 1900 the average life expectancy in the United States was forty-eight years. By 2000, just one hundred years later, it was seventy-seven. For every three days we lived in the twentieth century we gained a day of life expectancy. Consider that in light of the fact that early humans in the form of Homo erectus emerged 2.4 million years ago, and it took until 1900 to achieve our forty-eight-year life expectancy. That means it took 80,000 generations to reach the 1900-era life expectancy, and only about 4 to reach our current level.”