ONR to Tackle Navy's Energy Challenges in Online Wargame

By Katherine H. Crawford, Office of Naval Research Corporate Strategic Communications

ARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) -- The Office of Naval Research (ONR) will launch a second scenario for its online wargame to address energy-related problems, officials announced Oct. 14 at the Naval Energy Forum.

ONR's Office of Innovation will use its Massive Multiplayer Online Wargame Leveraging the Internet (MMOWGLI) platform as a means to bring together players to reduce the U.S. Navy's heavy reliance on a finite, expensive and unreliable supply of fossil fuels.

"Energy efficiency is very important to the warfighter, yet it's usually one of the last things we think about," said Dr. Larry Schuette, ONR's director of Innovation, whose office is managing the project. "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."

Potential scenarios for the second storyline, titled EnergyMMOWGLI, include working toward efficient power conversion, portability, durability in harsh environments and lower costs. Players can register online at: http://www.onr.navy.mil/energymmowgli.

The 2011 Naval Energy Forum, being held Oct. 13-14 in Washington, D.C., brings together leaders from the Department of the Navy, industry and academia to examine ways of achieving the Secretary of the Navy's energy goals and to emphasize the importance of energy security and independence.

The MMOWGLI pilot launched in June 2011 with a fast-paced piracy scenario set off the coast of Somalia. Round two of the original scenario is expected to resume game play later this fall. Its 16,000 pre-registered players will be developing strategies for combating pirates operating in seas around the world.

ONR provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.