Energy, Mobility and the Rise of OBVP Solutions

The Vulnerability of Energy Supply Chains

As modernization pressures drive rising levels of digitization on the battlefield, energy requirements have become a major challenge for military strategists and the defense industry. The increased deployment of capabilities such as unmanned platforms, digital command-and-control networks, direct energy weapons, and electronic warfare systems has led to the need for delivering energy to dispersed assets in challenging or remote environments. This has made energy supply chains a critical vulnerability for expeditionary forces. In low-intensity conflicts, attacks on fuel convoys have created operational bottlenecks, forcing commanders to divert assets to sustain the flow of energy supplies. The conflict in Ukraine has further accentuated this risk, as the proliferation of commercial-off-the-shelf drone technology has made energy supplies a uniquely vulnerable target. To address this challenge, one technology with great potential is Off-Board Vehicle Power (OBVP).