Thirty-five selected officers, NCOs, and civilians working in the energy sector attended the EEMOC held in Vilnius, Lithuania, in May 2022.

EAG and NATO continue to support the Energy Efficiency in Military Operations Course (EEMOC) in Vilnius, Lithuania

By Andrew Jennings, Faculty Associate–Research, Energy Academic Group

The Naval Postgraduate School’s Energy Academic Group (EAG) came together with the NATO Energy Security Center of Excellence in May of 2022 to conduct NATO’s annual Energy Efficiency in Military Operations Course (EEMOC).             

This year’s course was once again conducted in Vilnius, Lithuania, and was attended by 35 selected officers, NCOs, and civilians working in the energy sector. Nine different nations were represented in the May 2022 EEMOC.     

The EEMOC serves to raise awareness and knowledge regarding the importance of seeking energy efficient solutions in the military domain, particularly during military operations. The course introduced students to topics such as climate change, battery storage, innovative and renewable technologies, hybrid power generation, energy management planning, case studies, behavior change, and more. Participants also had the opportunity to visit local camps in the region and were challenged by the SPARK simulator to create an energy efficient camp. There was also the opportunity to develop participants’ understanding of energy efficiency via a wargame that focuses on generator use, renewable technologies, and alternative energy solutions related to expeditionary base camp power. Participants shared that this wargaming group work and the syndicate work developing an energy management plan were highlights of the course. The course featured multinational instructor staff, including subject matter experts from ENSEC COE, EAG, NATO Headquarters, SHAPE, EMA DEO, US Army CEERD CERL, Natural Resources Canada, and the Fraunhofer Institute of Chemical Technology as well as some industry specialists.     

The EEMOC is slated to continue providing instruction to select participants annually and is constantly evolving in content, style, and delivery, adapting to feedback from former participants. It strives to match the rapid emergence of new technologies and their integration into military operations. The next course is set to return to Vilnius May 21–25, 2023.