Presented by GEBA
Military readiness depends on the energy that powers the force and the speed at which useful technology reaches service members. Dale Marks, Assistant Secretary for Energy, Installations, & Environment at DoW, says those priorities belong in one connected effort that begins with the warfighter.
In his conversation with Francis Rose at the Energy Sentry Expo, Marks explains that installations are essential to preparing and deploying combat capability. Their energy requirements are directly connected to operations, weapons platforms, and the people who depend on them. Treating installation energy and operational energy separately can obscure those relationships.
That perspective shapes his approach to research, development, and procurement. Marks repeatedly emphasizes speed and scale, with commercial industry serving as an essential partner. The department needs sophisticated systems, but it also needs practical capabilities that can be produced, fielded, maintained, and used without unnecessarily long development or training cycles.
Warfighter participation is central to that approach. Bringing industry and military users together early helps define operational needs and creates a faster path for feedback. Marks connects this process to agile software development, in which solutions improve through repeated use and adjustment.
He describes an evaluation involving more than 100 drone vendors as an example. The department narrowed the field and tested selected systems across different scenarios. Military operators helped identify what worked and what needed improvement, adding practical experience to the expertise of engineers and test personnel.
The objective was not necessarily to select one exclusive solution. Marks says multiple capabilities can address different requirements and provide flexibility as needs change. Shorter feedback cycles can also help the department respond to battlefield lessons within weeks rather than allowing improvements to take years.
Engineers, operators, and sustainment teams all need to participate in that cycle. Energy requirements remain part of the discussion, alongside resilience and redundancy. Accelerating development cannot depend on overlooking the systems required to keep equipment operating.
Marks also describes a willingness to accept more acquisition risk at the front end to reduce the risks warfighters face later. He wants problems addressed during development and deployment decisions rather than passed to service members in the field.
Industry relationships and contracting practices help support that shift. Marks discusses bringing newer vendors into the process, connecting emerging technology firms with manufacturing capacity, reducing bureaucracy, and providing more predictable demand. Those changes can help suppliers invest in the production capabilities the department needs.
His measures of progress include clearing existing backlogs, moving new products faster, and acquiring larger quantities. Success depends on capacity throughout the supply chain, including suppliers and the workforce, as well as prime contractors.
For Marks, energy readiness and defense innovation share a practical standard: deliver capabilities that work for the people using them, support those capabilities throughout their service, and build the capacity to provide them at the scale required.