For its 17th year, the IDGA Operational Energy Summit will bring together operational and installation energy leaders from the US DoD, DoE, allied military, industry, and academia to discuss the current state of military energy and the path forward. Taking place from February 25 - 26, 2 ...
IDGA’s 17th iteration of the Operational Energy Summit will bring together operational and installation energy leaders from the US DoD, DoE, allied military, industry, and academia to discuss the current state of military energy.
This year’s event, which takes place February 25-26 in Bethesda, Maryland, will focus on addressing the emerging threat landscape, contested environments, the role of innovative technology, and the challenges and gaps in defense energy to ensure support of military operations.
In her second year as chairwoman of the event, Sharon Burke, the former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy, is looking forward to building off the engaging conversations held last year. Besides chairing the Operational Energy Summit, Burke is also the Founder and President of Ecospherics, a research and advisory firm that specializes in energy security, critical minerals, climate security, and related challenges. She has been a leader at several civic organizations, including the Center for a New American Security, where she started the Natural Security program.
Before joining attendees in Bethesda this February, Burke sat down with IDGA to discuss:
For its 18th year, the IDGA Operational Energy Summit will again bring operational and installation energy leaders across US DoD, allied military, industry, and academia. This year’s summit will focus on addressing the emerging threat landscape, contested environments, and the challenges and capability gaps in defense operational and installation energy.
Our Sample Attendee List showcases the high-level attendees and leading organizations within the industry that attended the previous Operational Energy Summit to give you an idea of what to expect for this year.
In 2016, the Defense Science Board (DSB) highlighted energy as a crucial enabler for future military operations. The study projected that battlefield energy demands would increase substantially in the coming decades, with the energy requirements of current and emerging military capabilities and operations likely to exceed advancements in energy efficiency and management. As a result of DSB’s study, the DoD’s Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) launched Project Pele, a program intended to design, build, and demonstrate a prototype mobile nuclear reactor.
Dr. Jeff Waksman is a Program Manager at SCO where he leads Project Pele as well as Project TRISCO, which focuses on encapsulated nuclear fuel. Before arriving at SCO, he worked for NASA as a Senior Policy Adviser, and at IBM where he was a staff scientist working on advanced semiconductor technology such as reactive ion etching, III-V materials, quantum computing, and heterogeneous integration.
This February Dr. Waksman will join Dr. Annie Kammerer, Chief of the Nuclear Power Branch Office of the Chief of Engineers (OCE) in the Department of the Army Headquarters (HQDA) at IDGA’s Operational Energy Summit to provide an overview of ongoing nuclear energy projects within the DoD.
The Operational Energy Summit is this February 25-25 in Bethesda, Maryland. Over the course of the two-day event attendees will discuss the emerging threat landscape, contested environments, the role of innovative technology, and the challenges and gaps in defense energy to ensure support of military operations.
Before the event, IDGA sat down with Dr. Wakman to discuss the following:
The US DoD is one of the largest energy consumers in the country, accounting for 77% of the government’s energy usage. In order to limit the federal government's dependency on fossil fuels, the Biden administration signed Executive Order 14057, “Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability.” in 2021 that orders the federal government to use electricity that is 100% free of carbon pollution by 2035.
To meet these new sustainability standards, the DoD is exploring a variety of clean energy sources. In this report, we will look at the latest sustainability initiatives the DoD is exploring, including:
To hear from the leaders of these DoD initiatives and the industry partners helping achieve the government’s pollution-free goals, be sure to register for IDGA’s Operational Energy Summit. The 17th iteration of the summit is taking place February 23-25 in Washington, DC, and will bring together thought leaders in sustainable energy to discuss the complexities surrounding operational and installation energy.
The 'Defense Innovation Unit's Energy Portfolio' presentation was delivered by Dr. Andrew Higier, Director of the Energy Portfolio, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) at 2024's Operational Energy Summit. His presentation highlighted how the DIU strengthens the national security innovation base and provided an in-depth look into its energy portfolio, covering key areas such as demand reduction, refuelling & contested logistics, batteries & extreme conditions, and efficiency & usage.
Dr. Higier will be returning as a speaker in February, where he will be discussing 'Fostering Innovation in Defense Energy' on Day 1. Downloading this presentation offers a preview of the insights and developments he is expected to share this year.
Operational Energy is an essential but complex term for forces. At its most basic, it is about promoting resilient energy supply chains for the benefit of the warfighter. This content piece hopes to clarify this extensive and complex topic with examples and infographics while clarifying the US DoD's implementation of its Operational Energy strategy. If Operational Energy is a realm of interest for you, but you do not know where to start, this piece is for you.
AFWERX's mission is to accelerate agile and affordable capability transitions through teaming innovating technology developers with Airman and Guardian talent. In essence, AFWERX helps accelerate the incorporation of disruptive technologies into the forces, which comes with specific challenges for the US industrial base. In this Energizing eVTOL Flight interview, the Division Chief, Lieutenant Colonel Meagher, details what's next for AFWERX covering.
Operational Energy is a critical component of any fighting force especially, since the DoD is the organisation that consumes the most energy in the US. C.M. Jacobs explores the implications of this and the technological advancements in the domain. This report covers:
The "US Air Force Operational Energy" presentation was delivered at Operational Energy Summit 2023 by Mr. Roberto I. Guerrero, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Operational Energy and covers a detailed breakdown of US Air Force Operational Energy's goals:
Join us at Operational Energy Summit 2024 (The Hyatt Regency Reston, Virginia on April 9-10, 202) to hear further insights on all aspects of operational energy.
Operational Energy initiatives from 2023 to 2024 are expected to be valued at around $20.3 billion. The initiatives include several efforts, from platform energy management systems to engine efficiency. This document summarises and comments on the largest initiatives by service. An excellent piece “companion” piece to understand the breadth and depth of Operational energy.
The US Department of Energy Budget Certification Summary covers the main points of FY 2022 Budget, while placing it in the wider context of the National Security Strategy. As the US Department of Energy Budget suggests, the primary focus of the OE Strategy is to maintain a decisive combat advantage through the application of energy strategies. The Summary delves into:
The "NATO Operational Energy Concept Under Development" presentation was delivered at the 2023 IDGA Operational Energy Summit by Mr. Wsewolod Rusow, Head of Research and Lessons Learned Division, NATO Energy Security Center of Excellence in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The presentation covered:
Mr Rusow will join us again at IDGA's 2024 Operational Energy Summit this April, where he will deliver a presentation on Day 1 about "Exploring The Evolving Needs Of Operational Energy".