Model and Simulation Based Systems Engineering and Analysis in Operational Energy Research for the U.S. Marine Corps [video]

NPS Defense Energy SeminarMultidimensional issues require flexible and often equally involved methods to address them. Operational energy problems are among the most complex in combat and peacetime conditions. As technology drives the United States military to increase energy consumption, it becomes critical to examine the gaps that appear in this resource-hungry environment. Specifically, the Marine Corps recognizes that the inability to properly plan and use operational energy will truncate its operational reach. The next iteration of the Marine Corps expeditionary strategy demands that combat units operate for longer periods and in larger battlespaces with the same amount of fuel and resources than they did in past decades. The need to extend its operational reach has compelled the Marine Corps to establish the Expeditionary Energy Office. In this pursuit, the Energy Office has initiated a variety of research efforts with numerous agencies, in particular, with the United States Naval Postgraduate School. Model and simulation based systems engineering and analysis plays a major role in the School’s research support. This presentation describes how this research framework has effectively facilitated the investigation of a wide range of energy issues; a sample list of studies, products, and residual capabilities attest to its utility