Spurred by a 57 percent increase in fuel costs, the Pentagon is speeding up its efforts to save energy and develop new sources of power.

During the last budget year, the Pentagon's fuel bill hit $7.4 billion, a jump of more than $2.7 billion from fiscal 2004. Those costs were pushed higher by the same market forces — more consumption by developing nations and problems with oil-producing countries — that had American motorists paying $2.77 for a gallon of unleaded gasoline at the end of fiscal 2005, Sept. 30, compared with $1.90 the year before.

Those figures got the military's attention even before President Bush called last month for America to end its addiction to foreign oil, says Michael Aimone, Air Force assistant deputy chief of staff. Adding to the pressure: fear of fuel shortages after Hurricane Katrina, which shut down many Gulf Coast refineries.

All military bases and facilities have been ordered to cut energy use by 2 percent per year and pursue alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind.

The Air Force, which burns more fuel than the rest of the military combined, is speeding long-awaited programs to fit modern engines on its old, thirsty aircraft including the B-52 bomber and C-5 transport.

Aimone says the Air Force also will adopt procedures used by airlines, such as flushing jet engines between major overhauls to rid carbon and other efficiency-robbing buildup. That could save tens of thousands of barrels of oil.

Some services already report progress. The Air Force says 11 percent of the electricity at its bases comes from biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar or wind power. The Navy's base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has wind turbines to cut diesel generator demand.

Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq make it tougher for ground forces to conserve.

From 2004 to 2005, fuel use by the Army and Marine Corps increased by more than one-third, to 15.4 million barrels. One major reason: adding heavy armor to Humvees, trucks and combat vehicles increases fuel use.

The Army and Marines are developing a successor to the Humvee that would use hybrid engines to save fuel and extend the vehicle's range.

Still, critics say the military ignored chances to save fuel and should have done more. "In 2005, the Department of Defense had about 27,000 vehicles in Iraq, and every one of them had poor gas mileage," says Carlton Meyer, a retired Marine officer who runs an Internet portal on military issues.