Within the development process, E2O functions as the Proponent for Expeditionary Energy. Part of the tasks of E2O is to advise the Marine Requirements Oversight Council on all matters related to energy and resource requirements. acquisitions and other programmatic decisions. As an added responsibility through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, E2O functions as the Marine Corps Senior Official for Operational Energy and in such function, report to the Secretary of the Navy.
In 2009, the CMC placed energy as the top priority for the US Marine Corps (USMC) and challenged all combatants to change the way they use energy while in the battlefield so that they can become more combat effective. This underscores all of USMC’s efforts to make sure that force is rebalanced and that US has a “forward deployed, self-sustained, amphibious capability” that can respond to crises anywhere in the world.
In line with the USMC’s goals to be more combat effective, the CMC has issued the Expeditionary Energy Strategy and Implementation Plan in March 2011. In the plan, the CMC emphasized the renewable energy. Later in 2011, the Assistant CMC signed the document entitled Expeditionary Energy, Water and Waste Initial Capabilities Document (E2W2ICD). This document, the 152 capability gaps (material and non-material) that should be addressed so that the CMC’s 2025 goals are met were identified and prioritized. The Expeditionary Energy Strategy and Implementation Plan and the E2W2ICD, along with a third document called 2012 Marine Corps Science and Technology Strategic Plan provide framework for the investments in expeditionary energy. To date, the return on investment of E2O was over $352 million. But the underlying increase in military capability can never be measured now. Only time can tell.