Sharon Burke, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs, visited U.S. Africa Command September 20, 2011 to discuss ways military forces can improve military readiness and capability by increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of their energy consumption.

During her visit to the command, Burke briefed AFRICOM personnel on the Department of Defense's Operational Energy Strategy and implementation plan, which was developed to "transform the way the DOD consumes energy in military operations."

The U.S. Department of Defense, Burke explained, is the largest single institutional consumer of fuel in the world, spending over 15 billion dollars in 2010, or the equivalent of 5 billion gallons of petroleum. The Operational Energy Strategy was established to guide how the DOD uses energy and develop a strategy and implementation plan to make energy use more efficient and effective.

The strategy incorporates a variety of methods, such as reducing the DOD's overall demand of energy, diversifying its energy sources, and integrating operational energy considerations into DOD planning.

Reduction of energy consumption is only part of the strategy, explained Burke, as she emphasized the correlation between efficiency and effectiveness. Reducing energy demand will not hinder military forces' abilities to perform their missions, rather an improvement in energy efficiency should make the military more effective--allowing them to travel farther, refuel less often, and carry less equipment, among other benefits.

"The mission of DOD now and going forward is a complex mission, a global mission," said Burke. "We're going to be a force that deploys globally and rapidly for a large range of missions. We have to be prepared for everything--from humanitarian assistance to counterterrorism and counterinsurgency missions all over the world. All of this means we will continue to demand a lot of energy."

Fuel logistics is of particular concern to the military at the operational and tactical levels, making units more vulnerable to attack and weighing down service members with batteries and other heavy equipment. Some of the projected positive outcomes for the DOD's energy strategy include reducing the number of lives lost while protecting fuel in war zones, improving the range, endurance, and reliability of ground, air, and naval assets, lightening the logistics load, and reducing the vulnerability of fuel supply lines.

"Reducing demand, expanding supply, and building an energy-secure force will mean a military that uses less energy, has more secure energy sources, and has the energy resources it needs to protect the American people," according to the DOD's official report, "Energy for the Warfighter: Operational Energy Strategy."

The impetus for this initiative came in response to the needs of forces in Iraq and Afghanistan who were responsible for protecting and transferring fuel on undeveloped roads where they were especially vulnerable to attack. However, it also applies to missions around the world, such as those carried out in Africa by U.S. Africa Command.

According to Angela Sherbenou, U.S. Africa Command's USAID/Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) advisor, energy security is of high importance during humanitarian assistance/disaster response missions in Africa. As of September 2011, there were 22 US Government declared disasters in Africa. A major concern, Sherbenou said, is how to move the fuel, especially in rural areas lacking roads or infrastructure.

AFRICOM is also working with other combatant commands to evaluate energy efficiency and reduce the "supply chain footprint" at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, where its sub-component, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, is based. In May 2011 the U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command installed and tested the first group of flexible solar cells on the base, an experimental project which could eventually save the DOD millions of dollars in Army fuel costs. The system includes solar cells which are connected to a sun shelter and to a system of batteries, which together produces two kilowatts of power, requires little maintenance, and eliminates the need for transporting fuel or other parts. CJTF-HOA plans to not only keep the equipment but to also use it in other locations and in missions in Africa. See related article: www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=6645&lang=0

U.S. Africa Command was the first regional command to incorporate an advisor from the Department of Energy into its operations to interface between the Department of Energy and AFRICOM and coordinate on how the command incorporates energy and related security issues in its operations and planning.

Carolyn Gay, AFRICOM's energy advisor, said it is important to factor energy strategy into its operations and training. The purpose, she said, is to "ensure armed forces have the energy resources they need for challenges they face and reduce the demand for energy, not just the consumption." She added, "We are looking at trying to build energy security into the future by making it more sustainable."

Other U.S. military services are also testing new technology and alternative sources of energy in their day-to-day missions. Burke talked about the U.S. Navy's USS Makin Island, which uses hybrid electric technology and is estimated to save the DOD 250 million dollars worth of fuel over a lifetime on that platform.

"At a platform level, that may or may not be significant, but when talking about putting it into a fleet so that you have a lot of ships saving that amount of fuel, then you have a mission effect," Burke said.

The Marines have begun using solar panels with battery backup to power patrol bases in Afghanistan and other areas.

Additionally, the Air Force's Air Mobility Command has led the way in several initiatives to save hundreds of millions of dollars in fuel costs, including changes with routing, loading, flight management, altitude, and other factors. The Los Angeles Air Force Base recently unveiled a plan to establish the first federal facility to replace 100 percent of its general purpose fleet with plug-in electric vehicles. See related article: www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123270249

Burke emphasized that building energy security into the future force is key to long-term mission success. She said that as the Defense Department plans ahead and develops new technology, energy efficiency should be a significant consideration.

"By building systems that require more energy, not less, we are actually building in a bigger problem for ourselves," she said. "We need to get into force development and force planning and think about how energy affects mission success."