STEPS TAKEN TO BETTER MANAGE FUEL DEMAND BUT ADDITIONAL.

(From GAO Reports)

According to DOD officials, at the time of our request, OEP&P did not have a mechanism in place to systematically track initiatives because its responsibilities are to develop and influence policy and provide guidance, oversight, and coordination of DOD`s operational energy efforts and they are not involved in the services` decisions about how to equip the forces with specific energy efficiency technologies. As such, officials told us that they had not developed a systematic approach for identifying and tracking fuel demand management initiatives. Since our request, officials told us that OEP&P has started working with DOD`s Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation to develop an automated budget exhibit that captures detailed program and funding data on operational energy initiatives included in DOD and the component`s budgets. OEP&P is in the process of refining this exhibit to capture improvements suggested by the components. This budget exhibit with consolidated information on operational energy initiatives funded in the fiscal year 2013 President`s Budget submission will help the office in its oversight and coordination role, but OEP&P officials acknowledge that its effort has a knowledge gap. For example, it does not include information on initiatives that are the subject of rapid fielding efforts or are locally procured. OEP&P officials stated that the Operational Energy Division in Afghanistan has started to collect information on ongoing operational energy activities in theater. However, these efforts have just begun and it is unclear to what extent they will provide a comprehensive list of all operational energy initiatives underway within DOD. As mentioned earlier, over the next 5 years, the services plan to spend approximately $4 billion dollars on operational energy initiatives, and without an established mechanism to identify and track fuel demand management initiatives, DOD may miss opportunities to improve its return on investment, reduce life-cycle costs, consolidate efforts, and increase interoperability among fuel demand management technologies.

DOD Has Measured the Results of Some Fuel Demand Management Initiatives, and Is Developing Baseline Data to Assess Progress Toward Achieving Operational Energy Goals

DOD has measured the results of some of the fuel demand management initiatives used in Afghanistan, but only recently has focused on collecting and assessing the data needed to develop a comprehensive baseline measure of its current fuel consumption at forward-deployed locations. Recognizing the need for information to manage fuel demand effectively, DOD has tasked the services with establishing baselines for operational energy consumption in all activities (air, sea, land) in its March 2012 implementation plan and provided funding for this purpose. Once collected, this baseline data will provide information across DOD`s operational activities, including those conducted in Afghanistan, and help the department better understand how specific assets consume fuel in an operational environment.

Service Efforts to Measure the Results of Some Fuel Demand Management Initiatives Are in the Early Stages and Face Some Challenges

As noted above, DOD has developed fuel demand management initiatives, and has begun, in …