Arctic Edge 2025 Operational Energy Overview
Leaders and participants at Arctic Edge 2025 in Tok, Alaska, discuss how expeditionary power technologies support the modern warfighter in Arctic...
About the Operational Energy - Innovation Directorate The Operational Energy – Innovation (OE-I) Directorate operates in collaboration with the Services and Combatant Commands, seeding joint innovation efforts. Under the auspices of OUSW, OE-I provides policy and oversight for innovation and program management. OE-I leverages — not replicates — existing infrastructure and organization, developing joint and interoperable technologies. U.S. Department of War (DoW) Component and Combatant Command operational energy leads work with OECIF and OEPF, informing, developing, and overseeing near-term, mid-term, and long-term investments as well as transitions.
OE-I embeds the warfighter’s voice into investment decisions, but that is not the only driver. Department-wide strategies, such as the National Defense Authorization Act and the National Defense Strategy, in addition to presidential executive orders, inform investment decisions.
About Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund (OECIF)
The Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund (OECIF) is DoW’s premier, joint operational energy investment program. OECIF is pre-commercialization. Through highly targeted science and technology investments, it guides and matures advanced, first-of-a-kind operational energy technologies across warfighting platforms and domains. Operational energy technology is a critical enabler for current and next generation weapon systems, platforms, and agile and integrated operations.
OECIF operates through four lines of effort, also known as portfolios. OECIF Portfolios are:
Operational Energy Combat Power
Operational Energy Dominance
Operational Energy Mobility
Nuclear Power
Congress started funding OECIF through BA 6.3 S&T funding — Advanced Technology Development — in 2012. OECIF has proven highly successful since.
About Operational Energy Prototyping Fund’s (OEPF)
The Operational Energy Prototyping Fund’s (OEPF) mission is demonstrating, validating and prototyping innovative, joint concepts created within OECIF and industry, and transitioning them as warfighting capabilities to Department of War programs of record. OEPF is the Department’s principal operational energy transition fund, solely dedicated to addressing joint operational energy requirements and providing the pipeline for integrating next-generation power and energy technology.
OEPF bridges the gap many projects experience when moving from first-of-a-kind capabilities to procured solutions. OEPF investments accelerate the operationalization of critical power and energy solutions across multiple Services. By funding testing and demonstration efforts, OEPF reduces the time it takes to mature and deliver operational energy technologies by more than 2 years.
Congress mandated OEPF in 2021 for transitioning successful operational energy technologies and maintaining project momentum and adhesion. Congress funds OEPF through BA 6.4 RDT&E funding — Advanced Component Development. OEPF has a single line of effort: Operational Energy Prototyping.
