The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) has supported the advancement of operational energy in the naval services through the development of defense-focused education and research programs, leading up to the launch of an all-new graduate degree program, the Master’s of Operational Energy (OE).
The new curriculum, which graduated its first cohort this past September, equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the evolving demands of operational energy in the modern battlespace.
Co-sponsored by the office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy and the Department of the Navy’s Director for Operational Energy, the launch of the OE degree is in direct support of multiple naval and defense strategies addressing unmanned systems, resilience, directed energy and climate security objectives. In addition, the Naval Education Strategy, released by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, calls for innovative approaches to expand access to advanced education, and the new NPS OE master’s is an innovative combination of three stackable, graduate-level certificates available via NPS Online.
In straightforward terms, OE is the energy required for training, moving, and sustaining military forces and weapons platforms for military operations. With a worldwide operating footprint, current DON Director for Operational Energy retired Marine Corps Col. Jim Caley discussed how the DOD is well-known for its thirst for energy, which makes mastering its efficient use more important than ever.
“There are three things that matter in combat, that generate combat force in terms of critical capabilities; those are munitions, fuel and energy, and critical medical assets to bring casualties back,” Caley said. “With that in mind, from both personal experience in this space, along with a study of military history, you can easily see that the side with the energy will be the side that keeps fighting, and wins.”
It's an obvious force multiplier, he adds.
“If our weapons systems can be made more efficient, and they can be, then we can bring more combat force to bare and be better stewards of taxpayer resources,” he added. “Why wouldn’t we!?”
With a cadre of faculty expertise in OE and a strong portfolio of related research, sponsors of the program said NPS was the right institution to execute a defense-focused degree program like this.
Caley noted how NPS is positioned to develop fleet officers and the government civilian workforce, which advances naval engineering capability and operational performance. Simultaneously, integrating modeling and simulation from NPS provides a quantitative assessment of operational scenarios with an engineering core competency allowing more effective changes for the Navy.
“NPS also has the technical experts that work with operators and people with fleet experience and service experience,” added Caley. “That allows us to reframe problems and approach solutions in a different way.”
NPS’ broad expertise in OE has led to the development of an invaluable resource for defense leaders across the Navy and beyond. “Operational Energy” is the first textbook released by NPS’ Energy Academic Group, which provides a foundational understanding of OE, market influences, and technological OE advancements, enhanced by case studies and strategic analysis.
On track to graduate from the OE program in December, Arch W. McCleskey Jr. is a civilian engineer with the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) serving as deputy group head, aircraft carrier design and systems engineering. In this position, he supervises the teams that develop technical specifications for aircraft carrier systems under NAVSEA’s responsibility.
With fleet modernization a critical priority, McCleskey explained how the OE program has been integral in increasing his knowledge of emerging technologies and how they impact his team’s responsibilities.
“I have a much broader perspective of how we design and employ emerging technologies than I have had at any other time in my career,” McCleskey said. “Understanding the broad Fleet use of these emerging technologies allows me to ensure that our ships are designed with the power requirements, cooling requirements, network requirements, and safety items needed to field these systems in the future.
He also noted how the program provided a resource to learn about the broad Navy challenges and emerging technologies that affect our Fleet.
“I am better at my job, because I can see a much larger picture and ask better questions as we look to modernize.”
Colleen McHenry, a faculty associate in NPS’ Energy Academic Group and lead OE program manager, discussed how the driving force behind the development of the OE program can be traced back to rapid shifts in modern warfare.
"The Master of Operational Energy is an asynchronous distributed learning degree program that equips graduates with the essential skills and knowledge to enhance their effectiveness in the modern battlespace," said McHenry. "The degree is available to students who are working full time with families, in austere locations, or living outside of Monterey.”
The program is open to military officers, government civilians, defense contractors, and select international students. With the program being available remotely, challenges of traditional academic time and location are eliminated.
“While students are required to submit assignments with a regular cadence, how the students arrive at the completion of the assignment is within their control,” said McHenry.
This flexibility is essential for active-duty personnel and other defense professionals, allowing them to balance their education with the demands of their jobs and personal lives.
“I and most of my classmates support the active Fleet, and we don’t have the option to travel to NPS for in-person classes or be available for synchronous learning on a set schedule,” said McCleskey. “Having the ability to be online outside of class hours enables us to continue our education when the job would not otherwise allow time for synchronous or in-person classes.”
McCleskey noted how NPS collaboration tools available for use helped facilitate work on team projects despite team members being deployed internationally or working outside of normal business hours.
The OE degree is built on three graduate-level certificates that combine to complete the program: directed energy, refuel logistics, and unmanned systems persistence. Each certificate addresses a contemporary energy challenge relevant to the modern battlespace.
"The topics of each of the three certificates culminate in the final course in the degree, Case Studies in Operational Energy (EN4020)," McHenry explained. "Students may apply for a certificate independent from the degree, but completing all three provides a holistic understanding of operational energy.
"Operational energy is not specific to one service but rather relevant to the entire battlespace," she added. "The diversity of our student population has greatly enhanced our ability to discuss and educate across the services."
In its initial phase, the OE program is being offered tuition-free, a decision that reflects the sponsor's commitment to operational energy education.
"The purpose behind the tuition-free model is to demonstrate the sponsor's commitment to OE instruction and its overall value to mission success," said Dr. Arnold Dupuy, faculty associate and lead for curriculum development in the NPS Energy Academic Group. "We feel that tuition-free coursework will attract qualified and motivated students willing to learn about OE who might not otherwise have the opportunity."
The centralized funding was critical to McCleskey’s participation.
“This program being centrally funded eliminated the burden of command selection processes and gaps in funding,” McCleskey said. “I believe the purpose of this overall program was to ensure that today’s engineers could see tomorrow’s technology. It accomplishes that goal.”
With its flexible, distributed learning format and focus on real-world energy challenges, the Master of Operational Energy program at NPS, partnered with the institution’s robust OE related research portfolio, represent a significant step forward in preparing military leaders to tackle the energy-related challenges of modern warfare.