Operational Energy Capability Improvement

Mission— Nuclear Power

This project is revolutionizing DOD operations by spearheading innovations in nuclear power (fission reactors and radioisotope power systems) for Joint operations across all domains. As a strategic priority for the Administration, nuclear power is poised to transform energy surety by: • Unleashing Unprecedented Energy Density: Increasing the energy density of existing power systems by approximately 1,000,000x, enabling longer mission durations and reduced logistical dependencies. • Extending Power Lifetimes in Extreme Environments: Dramatically extending power system lifetime in remote and austere locations, ensuring reliable power for critical operations in challenging environments. • Reducing the Burden on Personnel: Decreasing operational burden on personnel compared to traditional power systems (e.g., chemical batteries and fossil fuels), freeing up resources for other mission-critical tasks. The nuclear power portfolio's investments are focused on making nuclear technologies safer, lighter, more secure, more efficient, more economical, and more operational for the DOD. To achieve these goals, this project is driving technology improvements in the supply chain and power conversion efficiency of both small and large RPS and fission subsystems and components, as well as de-risking complete fission mobile nuclear reactor systems. These technology development efforts include investments in cutting-edge materials like smart carbon/carbon, shielding optimizations, betavoltaics, alphavoltaics, alpha photovoltaics, Stirling energy conversion technology, and supercritical CO2 energy conversion loops (sCO2). The nuclear power portfolio also funds studies ensuring the safety and security of these transformative technology investments.

Mission— Operational Energy Capability Improvement

The mission of this program element (PE) is to fund innovation to improve the Department of Defense’s (DOD) operational effectiveness via targeted operational energy science and technology (S&T) investments. The Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund (OECIF) incentivizes S&T to promote long term change in DOD capabilities, so they are better aligned with the DOD's and National Strategy. OECIF fosters Joint, not Service specific, innovation that improves operational energy performance and has two key mission aspects: first, to develop operational energy technologies and practices that improve DOD military capabilities and possibly reduce costs; and second, to establish within and among the military Services institutional momentum to transition those innovations. OECIF funds serve as “seed money” to start or consolidate promising first-of-a-kind operational energy innovation. OECIF investments also lead in areas of Departmental level interest. The overall aim is to improve the operational effectiveness of the Joint Force. OECI powers this future by investing in early-stage energy innovation for military capabilities, incentivizing the Components to achieve energy superiority for U.S. Joint Forces and missions. The OECI program accelerates the transition of pre-commercial, military-unique technologies, promoting rapid fielding to warfighters. OECI is innovating today for energy superiority tomorrow, delivering unmatched value to the DOD warfighter by: • Boosting lethality and supportability • Enhancing operational readiness and responsiveness • Extending operational capabilities and endurance for advanced platforms and weapons OECI's technical thrust areas are: • Operational Energy Dominance: Providing energy capability and battlespace awareness technologies to collect, camouflage, and control power and energy data. These investments leverage AI and machine learning to integrate U.S., allied, and adversary energy information into the combined joint all-domain command and control (CJADC2) architecture. • Operational Energy Surety: Ensuring U.S. forces, capabilities, and missions assured, robust, and resilient access to energy, including powering energy magazines (missile defense, Golden Dome, and counter-UAS) and data centers in the homeland and abroad. Technical areas include fuel fabrication processes, energy conversion, novel power generation, and energy storage and distribution technologies. • Operational Energy and Power Projection: Giving U.S. forces operational flexibility, freedom to operate at will, and a qualitative edge in all domains (including space and cyber), through implementation of advanced energy technologies. Investments include novel platform structures and power plant solutions for extended duration and enabling and enhancing maneuver without regret (including next-generation power and energy delivery (power beaming)). • Nuclear Innovation: Developing power and energy solutions for the battlespace including assured power for critical missions at home, underway, and abroad. Nuclear innovations do not overlap efforts covered by the Chief of Naval Reactors (CNR) but are broadly applicable in all domains from sub-sea to space. The OECI program demonstrates its commitment to innovation by maturing first-of-their-kind advanced OE technologies across warfighting platforms and domains. OECI's competitive execution approach, which funds DOD laboratories, not only strengthens technical depth within the DOD and secures government purpose rights but also drives down acquisition costs and fosters academic and initial industry engagement. Furthermore, it expedites technology development and capability delivery to warfighters through the implementation of other transaction and rapid acquisition authorities. Current/ongoing OECI investments focus on providing agile OE solutions that address insights from current operations. Technical advancements include: • Advanced Algorithms & Analytics: Developing AI/ML algorithms for anomaly detection, predictive power analysis, energy optimization, and pattern-of-life analysis • Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) Integration: Developing data models, user interfaces, and communication protocols to integrate OE assets and data into the JADC2 architecture • Power Electronics & Microgrids: Designing high-efficiency power converters, inverters, and microgrid controllers for tactical applications, with a focus on vehicle-centric microgrids and integration with Joint and Coalition energy sources • Energy Storage & Generation: Developing advanced battery chemistries (Li-ion, Lithium Sulfur, Americium), fuel cells (hydrogen), and waste-to-energy systems for mobile and expeditionary power • Wireless Power Transfer Technologies: Advancing RF, mm-Wave and laser power beaming systems, including rectenna design, beam steering, and integration with UAVs and other platforms • Space-Based Solar Power: Developing low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells and arrays for space applications, including perovskite and III-V materials • Nuclear Reactor Technology: Developing small modular reactors (SMRs), TRISO fuel, and advanced shielding materials for both space and terrestrial applications • Fuel Efficiency & Hybridization: Developing hybrid-electric architectures for tactical vehicles, aircraft, and naval vessels to improve fuel efficiency and enable new capabilities Looking ahead to FY 2026 and beyond, the President’s mission to the DOD is clear: achieve peace through strength and remain the World’s greatest military. Fulfilling this mission, the DOD prioritizes investments that revive the warrior ethos, rebuild the military, and reestablish deterrence. Aligning with these priorities, OECI investments focus on technology advancements that increase OE Readiness: • Power and Energy Sensing for Command and Control: Investments providing Red, Green, and Blue (abroad) information for warfighter decision making and increased battlespace awareness and impact • Nuclear Power – Focused investments advancing resilient, long-lived, and low-profile spaceflight radioisotope power system (RPS) technologies available for national security needs • DE Weapon Advancement: Prototyping of first of kind power and thermal hardened system solutions, suitable for transport and utilization in varied locations, including populated, austere, and arctic conditions • UxV Advancements: Innovating power and energy solutions enabling advanced maneuver, extended reach, and increased endurance for UxV’s across warfighting domains • Space Superiority – Advancing space maneuver and survivability through focused investment in energy generation, storage, refueling distribution, transmission, and data analytics • Energy Surety – Secure power advancements, increasing energy efficiency, and developing isolated power and energy solutions at operational installations (and data centers) - enabling critical missions at home and abroad The OECI program has a long history of successfully transitioning emerging OE capabilities (greater than 80%). As the department rebuilds the military, OECI continues accelerating technology development for critical OE capabilities required for defense of the homeland and deterring Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific theater.

Mission— Operational Energy Dominance

The Operational Energy Dominance (OED) project enhances DOD operational effectiveness through targeted Science & Technology (S&T) investments, transforming energy data into a battlefield advantage. By embedding energy situational awareness into command and control (C2) architectures, OED enables warfighters to outpace adversaries with smarter, faster decisions in contested environments. The OED portfolio achieves this mission through three strategic thrusts: Collect, Camouflage, and Control. • Collect: OED digitizes legacy power systems (generators, batteries, and distribution nodes), integrating them into the operational data environment to eliminate blind spots and enhance situational awareness. Simultaneously, this thrust develops and deploys first-of-a-kind sensing capabilities to the front lines. • Camouflage: OED leverages power intelligence products from the Collect thrust to locate and mitigate threat surfaces within the power systems of critical military systems. • Control: OED exploits both power intelligence products and identified threat surfaces to create TTPs that expose the pacing threat's vulnerabilities, providing overmatch opportunities for US Forces in INDOPACOM. OED portfolio investments yield: 1. Enhanced mission-planning tools with integrated energy analytics. 2. Increased operational control of energy assets at every echelon. 3. Advanced metering and monitoring across modern and legacy platforms. 4. Modeling and simulation tools translating energy impacts into operational outcomes. 5. Actionable energy insights informing acquisition, sustainment, and budget decisions. 6. Foundational training embedding energy innovation across warfighters and the S&T community. All focus areas align with the DOD’s OE Strategy, ensuring energy data informs operations, logistics, and readiness. Program-wide efforts prioritize transparency tools, warfighter inclusion, and subject matter expertise to accelerate the adoption and impact of OECI investments. There is a classified addendum to this PE.

Mission— Operational Energy Surety

This project secures U.S. warfighting advantages by driving innovations in operational energy surety, guaranteeing reliable and resilient access to energy and power for critical missions. Operational Energy Surety (OES) delivers critical enablers for operational flexibility, expanding freedom of maneuver through: • Autonomous delivery systems for assured energy resupply. • Silent watch-capable manned platforms for enhanced stealth and endurance. • Power and energy solutions enabling advanced maneuver and mobility concepts in contested environments. To achieve these goals, OES focuses on: • Agile Combat Employment (ACE): Developing energy surety options based on readily available, unique hybrid technologies; expanding energy options through innovative production methods; and generating power and heat from waste resources. • Interoperability and Standardization: Investing in tactical micro-gridding, electrical and communication standardization, and energy component commonality for multiplatform applications, ensuring seamless integration across the joint force. • Next-Generation Capabilities: Maturing high-power weapons enablers, advanced power and thermal management technologies, domestically manufactured advanced energy storage optimized for arctic and austere operations, and innovative, recoverable, offensive, effects-based energy disruption systems to deter adversaries.

Mission— Operational Energy and Power Projection

The Operational Energy and Power Projection (OE&PP) project powers the future of the DOD by delivering energy where it's needed most, enabling mission success anywhere on Earth and in space. The portfolio strategically invests in three critical areas: Aviation, Power Beaming, and Space. • Aviation: Extending the Reach of Uncrewed Aircraft: This area is revolutionizing uncrewed aircraft endurance by demonstrating innovative airframes, paving the way for more efficient on-board power generation with oil-less turbogenerators, and reducing weight through novel aircraft power electronics. • Power Beaming: Projecting Energy Across the Battlespace: This area is pushing energy forward with high-efficiency wireless power technology, including transmitters, relays, and receivers, and providing on-demand power to remote locations. • Space: Unleashing the Power of Space-Based Energy: This area is developing state-of-the-art solar cells and battery technology for maximizing energy generation and storage capabilities in space. It also leverages robotics for assembling large solar arrays and refueling satellites, dramatically increasing the availability of energy in the space domain.

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (4)