Former director of DoD energy siting program calls national security claims “bogus”
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 22, 2026) – The Department of the Interior (DOI) suspended leases, today, for five large-scale, under–construction offshore wind projects that are expected to deliver enough electricity to power more than 2.5 million homes. DOI’s decision comes just two weeks after a federal judge struck down President Trump’s executive order blocking wind projects, calling it unlawful.
The suspension comes at a time amid skyrocketing electricity demand. It also puts thousands of jobs on the chopping block during a downturn in employment.
Bob Keefe, executive director of the national nonpartisan business group E2 said:
“President Trump says we are in an energy emergency, and millions of Americans struggling with soaring energy costs would agree with him. But then his administration is doing anything it can to stop new sources of energy development in America for no legitimate reason.”
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum cited unspecified national security risks identified by the Pentagon as the reason for stopping the five projects. Dave Belote, the first executive director of the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) energy siting clearinghouse at the Pentagon, called the claims “bogus.” The E2 chapter director provided a full statement below:
“Having created DoD’s Mission Compatibility Evaluation Process 15 years ago…and having coordinated with North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) radar/air defense analysts as recently as last week, I find Secretary Burgum’s claims of national security-related risks and vulnerabilities to be bogus,” said Belote, CEO of wind and solar energy consulting firm DARE Strategies. “NORAD has technical fixes in place today to edit interference out of its radar displays, and wind project developers have been paying for these fixes since 2013.”
For more information or to arrange interviews with Belote or Keefe, please contact Daniel Baker at [email protected].
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E2 is a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors, and professionals from every sector of the economy who advocate for smart policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment. Our members have founded or funded more than 2,500 companies, created more than 600,000 jobs, and managed more than $100 billion in venture and private equity capital. For more information, see www.e2.org or follow us on LinkedIn (@e2org) or X/Twitter at @e2org.