CRANE, Ind. –
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new energy prototyping field activity to advance technology development and validation on December 10. NSWC Crane opened the Joint Operational Energy Innovation Prototyping and Experimentation Field Activity (OE-I PEFA) in partnership with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD (A&S)) Operational Energy—Innovation Directorate.
“For the past five years, The Office of the Undersecretary for Defense’s Operational Energy-Innovation office and NSWC Crane’s partnership has been vital to operational energy innovation and excellence,” said the Director of Operational Energy Innovation. “The next phase - Prototyping and Experimentation collaboration - builds on and strengthens its success. Collectively, we are innovating today across the science and technology and Warfighter communities for National and Military energy superiority tomorrow.”
Operational Energy—Innovation Directorate has four thrust areas: Enterprise-wide Energy Visibility and Decision Making, Operational Energy Resilience, Operational Energy Demand Reduction, and Nuclear Power. This partnership and establishment of OE-I PEFA advances the collaboration between NSWC Crane and OUSD (A&S), enabling expertise and resource sharing.
“We are excited to partner with OE-I to establish OE-PEFA to lead demonstration and experimentation events, provide modeling, simulation, and analytic support, and lead efforts that will improve the warfighting capabilities of our military,” said CAPT Rex Boonyobhas, the Commanding Officer at NSWC Crane.
The OE-I PEFA will focus on workforce development, exploring the viability of an operational energy-focused university consortium, and build relationships with service acquisition programs and international partners.
“The confidence OE-I has in the NSWC Crane team, in establishing the OE-I PEFA, is a testament to our deep technical roots in energy storage and rapid innovation culture,” said John Fassino, Director of the OE-I PEFA and Deputy Director for Operational Energy Innovation. “We look forward to expanding our role supporting OE-I with an increased focus on workforce development, community engagement, and warfighter integration through demonstration and experimentation as we continue accelerating transition of critical OE capabilities to the Joint Force.”
NSWC Crane has the largest aggregate of organic power and energy scientific and engineering expertise within the Department of Defense, state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories, unique capabilities, and longstanding relationships with the battery industry that position the organization to successfully integrate, field, and sustain advanced solutions.
“The partnership will improve collaboration and coordination on Joint energy prototyping and validation, increase expertise and resources dedicated to operational energy, and enhance demonstration and experimentation capabilities,” said Dr. Kyle Werner, the Deputy Technical Director at NSWC Crane. “It will also focus on emerging operational energy technology.”
Some of NSWC Crane’s supported weapons systems include manned undersea platforms, airborne platforms, hybrid electric vehicles, directed energy systems, missile systems, and space applications. OE-I PEFA will add to NSWC Crane’s suite of capabilities for the Fleet.
“This partnership underscores our shared commitment to driving innovation and fostering collaboration, said Nova Carden, the NSWC Crane Power and Energy Systems
Division Manager. “It empowers NSWC Crane to contribute substantially towards advancing the next generation operational energy technologies that will impact how we approach future warfighting challenges. I am excited to see our organization evolve into a central hub for innovation and solutions, where we can bring together the collective expertise of government, industry, and academia to tackle the DoDs most pressing challenges.”
About NSWC Crane | NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electromagnetic Warfare. The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multi- spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today's Warfighter.
Join Our Team! NAVSEA employs a diverse, highly trained, educated, and skilled workforce - from students and entry level employees to experienced professionals and individuals with disabilities. We support today's sophisticated Navy and Marine Corps ships, aircraft, weapon systems and computer systems. We are continuously looking for engineers, scientists, IT and cyber specialists, as well as trade and other support professionals to ensure the U.S. Navy can protect and defend America. Please contact NSWC Crane Human Resources at crane_recruiting@navy.mil.