Operational Energy
Operational Energy
Operational Energy is the demand for energy by military systems while performing missions in the intended operational environment. Reducing the force’s dependence on energy logistics can improve the force’s mobility and resilience and increase its control over the timing and conditions of the fight. Emerging threats to the logistic resupply of operational forces, the trend toward ever greater energy demand in the operational forces and increasing costs to operate and resupply energy-intensive systems have all put increasing focus on lowering system and unit energy demand.
Programs should consider incorporating energy demand in design, technology, materials, and related issues into the system trade space along with other performance issues, so that oppressive energy resupply needs are not inadvertently introduced in the attempt to achieve other performance goals (e.g., survivability, lethality). Reducing the force’s dependence on energy logistics can improve the force’s mobility and resilience and increase its control over the timing and conditions of the fight. Focusing on energy as an explicit design consideration and SE category is a significant change in practice and thinking that will help manage emerging operational challenges.
For more information on Operational Energy as a design consideration, see the Systems Engineering Guidebook, Section 5.16.