Rebel Global Security, in collaboration with the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), conducted an industry pulse check to assess current strategies, identify gaps, and uncover opportunities across the sector. In the face of a growing and complex threat landscape, the report examines how U.S. natural gas companies are responding to evolving national security and geopolitical risks. The study found that natural gas companies consider national security and geopolitical issues to be critically or very important. Among these issues, particular concern was given about cyber-attacks, supply chain risks and disruptions, and U.S. national security policy.
In today’s volatile geopolitical landscape, natural gas companies are a prime target for nation-state cyberattacks, domestic extremism, and other security risks, Rebel Global Security and the INGAA noted in their report. “The sector is also at the center of Washington’s national security agenda – ensuring U.S. global competitiveness and the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, supplying energy to American allies, onshoring critical manufacturing, and addressing resource adequacy. As a result, natural gas companies are under mounting pressure to proactively manage national security and geopolitical issues.”
They highlighted that the two biggest challenges companies face in managing national security and geopolitical issues are lack of staff and lack of a formal/organized approach. “Much of this is due to the fact that national security and geopolitical issues do not fall neatly into a specific box on the organizational chart, instead falling somewhere between the remits of external affairs, security, and risk. On the positive side, the industry shows confidence in its access to information and intelligence on national security and geopolitical issues.”
Respondents indicated a strong focus on three key areas of national security and geopolitics, with each being noted by at least 80 percent of survey respondents.
Growing cyber threats from foreign adversaries, such as Volt Typhoon—a Chinese cyber group targeting U.S. critical infrastructure for disruption and destruction—are top of mind for U.S. natural gas companies. The 2021 Colonial Pipeline crisis emblazoned the potential impact of a large-scale cyberattack on pipelines and energy infrastructure into the minds of industry leaders and the public.
In the subsequent years, Congress and regulators have advanced a range of initiatives to shore up cybersecurity across the private sector, further raising the specter of intense government, media, and public scrutiny for companies who fail to prioritize proactive cybersecurity efforts and prevent a major attack with national security implications.
Ahead of the election of President Donald Trump, decades of advancing globalization were coming to a precipitous halt in the face of renewed great power competition between the U.S., China, and Russia. With President Trump’s inauguration, these trends have been exacerbated by greater focus from Washington on revitalizing domestic U.S. industrial power and ensuring even trade balances, including with closest allies.
“As global politics, security, and energy become even more intertwined, we have seen increasing focus from national security policymakers on the energy sector,” the report added. “In a Day 1 executive order, for example, the White House stated, ‘Our Nation’s current inadequate development of domestic energy resources leaves us vulnerable to hostile foreign actors and poses an imminent and growing threat to the United States’ prosperity and national security.’”
Identifying that this high level of focus has combined with whipsawing policies (e.g., the Biden administration’s export pause on liquefied natural gas (LNG) which was rapidly overturned by the Trump administration) to create heightened uncertainty, the Rebel Global Security and the INGAA added that the natural gas industry, therefore, has become a primary tool in the national security toolkit, pushing companies to develop greater fluency in national security subject matter with policymakers, regulators, and customers.
When asked to identify the most important goals in managing national security and geopolitical challenges, respondents to the Rebel Global Security and the INGAA survey prioritized ensuring operational resilience, protecting people, property, and information, mitigating financial and reputational risks, and proactively anticipating and shaping policy and regulatory developments.
In contrast, goals such as achieving thought leadership in national security and facilitating new projects or investments received comparatively less emphasis. Overall, the responses suggest that the industry continues to approach national security and geopolitical issues primarily through a ‘defensive’ lens. These concerns are largely viewed as threats, capable of inflicting physical, operational, financial, reputational, and regulatory harm to natural gas companies. As a result, most respondents believe the focus should remain on prevention and risk mitigation.
Fewer companies appear to be capitalizing on the strategic opportunities presented by this evolving landscape. These could include aligning new projects with national security priorities or strengthening ties with federal agencies through visible leadership in the field. This is despite several positive developments for the industry—such as increased demand for U.S. natural gas following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and the recent executive order by President Trump accelerating the permitting of energy projects deemed critical to national security.
Despite the challenges, the natural gas industry expresses strong confidence in its handling of national security and geopolitical issues, with 80 percent of respondents rating their current approach as ‘very effective’ and none viewing it as ineffective. While this suggests a sense of control, it may also reflect overconfidence or a reliance on reactive strategies over proactive ones.
Respondents also reported confidence in their access to relevant intelligence, supported by improved public and private information sources and enhanced government sharing. However, the focus should now shift toward effectively leveraging this information to support business goals, protect assets, and enhance decision-making by addressing potential process bottlenecks.
The Rebel Global Security and the INGAA analysis revealed a spectrum of maturity in how natural gas companies manage national security and geopolitical issues. Companies fall into three broad categories – high maturity firms that treat national security as a core business issue, with dedicated personnel and holistic processes; mid-level maturity companies that recognize the importance but address issues in a fragmented way due to organizational or resource limitations; and low maturity firms that react to individual challenges without fully understanding the broader, evolving landscape.
The report included four recommendations intended to help those companies farther out from the center become more mature and, as a result, more effectively anticipate, shape, and manage national security and geopolitical issues that could have a material impact on their business.
It, firstly, called for establishing a dedicated national security line of effort (LOE), where natural gas companies should create a formal LOE focused on national security and geopolitical issues. This includes defining a clear strategy and appointing at least one person, whether part of a team or handling it alongside other duties, to lead efforts across internal and external stakeholders. The structure and focus may vary by company, but having dedicated ownership ensures these issues receive consistent, holistic attention and don’t fall through the cracks.
The Rebel Global Security and the INGAA called for investing in talent and expertise. Companies should prioritize hiring or contracting individuals with the right skills to address national security challenges. While finding specialized talent is difficult due to the lack of a formal talent pipeline, companies should seek candidates who demonstrate intellectual curiosity, cross-functional thinking, and a strong interest in national security, regardless of whether they come from cybersecurity, compliance, policy, or other backgrounds.
Thirdly, the report recommends creating processes for cross-organizational collaboration. Managing national security and geopolitical risks requires coordination across multiple business functions. Companies should establish structured processes, such as working groups, information sharing, and joint responses, to enable effective, organization-wide collaboration. These efforts should be overseen by the individual or team leading the national security LOE and support strategic decision-making at the executive and board levels.
Lastly, the report suggests building and nurturing an external network. With internal structures in place, companies should develop strong external relationships across federal agencies, industry associations, state and local governments, Congress, law enforcement, media, and relevant international bodies. This network helps companies gather valuable insights and influence policy. Maintaining these connections also boosts the company’s credibility and can reduce scrutiny during crises by demonstrating proactive engagement in national security and geopolitical matters.
