Materiel solutions of course require an acquisition ef-
fort and must go through a series of steps to identify
all the characteristics needed by the solution to ful-
fill the operational capability gap. Key Performance
Parameters (KPPs) are integral to the JCIDS process
as they are the most significant characteristics of the
material solution system. A formal recommendation
by the Defense Science Board in their 2001 study, and
re-emphasized in their 2008 report, was the need to
establish and implement an Energy Efficiency KPP.
Progress has been made in the form of a pilot effort
as directed by the 2007 memo from Undersecretary of
the Army (AT&L), but full implementation has yet to
be instituted as results of the pilot continue to be re-
viewed (Defense Science Board 2008, 24).
Instituting an Energy Efficiency KPP would have
far reaching impacts. There is tremendous potential
for increased combat effectiveness if energy efficien-
cy and interoperability were reinforcing factors in
the Functional Area Analysis (FAA). The FAA is the
first step of the JCIDS process and defines the tasks
needed to achieve operational success when building
the capabilities package (Defense Science Board 2008,
40). If weapons, equipment and life support systems
were designed so that energy source parts were mul-
tifunctional, interoperable and adaptable to renew-
able energy sources then the versatility of batteries,
microgrids and powerpacks (to name a few) would be
enormously increased. This capacity would be a new
era for joint operations, joint logistics and interagency
country development. These items could be produced
with economy of scale and their simplicity would en-
sure long term relevance, reduction in training and
overall vastly improved efficiency across the complete
spectrum of deployment phases.
sharon
(sharon)
#1