Researchers are sounding the alarm that California’s energy policies have created a national security vulnerability that could threaten U.S. military readiness in the Pacific.

The new study, Addressing U.S. National Security Vulnerabilities Created by California Oil and Refinery Policies: The Need for a Rapid Response Fuel Reserve, was authored by Michael Mische of USC, James Rector of UC Berkeley and Joseph Silvi, a Berkeley graduate and graduate research assistant.

According to the study, more than 61 percent of the crude oil processed by California refineries is imported. California also increasingly depends on foreign refineries for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Much of that supply must travel through vulnerable waterways including the Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Panama Canal.