Energy is an issue that is common to a number of organizations, and the military – including the United States Navy – is no exception. During the Naval Energy Forum, held on Oct. 13 to 14 in Washington, D.C., the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced that it was launching a second scenario for its online wargame, as an answer to the challenges related to energy.

The Massive Multiplayer Online Wargame Leveraging the Internet (MMOWGLI) platform of the Office of Innovation will be utilized to bring players together, towards the reduction of the heavy dependence of the Navy on a “finite, expensive, and unreliable supply of fossil fuels.”

The question of energy efficiency, and the reduction of reliance on non-renewable sources of energy, such as fossil fuels, is an issue that is not just unique to the Navy. The move towards finding renewable sources of energy is a global advocacy, as mankind seeks to protect the environment and ensure the sustainability of life on Mother Earth.

Dr. Larry Schuette, ONR’s director of Innovation, shared: “Energy efficiency is very important to the warfighter, yet it’s usually one of the last things we think about… The fewer times a truck, tank, ship or airplane needs to be refueled, the greater the operational tempo. At the end of the day, it’s all about warfighter effectiveness: the greater the energy efficiency, the higher the effectiveness.”

The second storyline will bear the title Energy MMOWGLI. It will include scenarios such as working toward efficient power conversion, portability, durability in harsh environments and lower costs.