NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence

NATO ENSEC COE is established in order to provide subject matter expertise for the development of NATO’s capacity in all aspect in the field of energy security. It is providing cost effective solutions to support military requirements, in consultation with academia and industry. NATO ENSEC COE is supporting NATO’s effective improvement and development of energy security concepts, doctrines and standards, as well as active cooperation through sharing of energy security related information and innovations.

The NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence (The NATO ENSEC COE)

Brief history

12 October 2012

2 September 2014 16 October 2014 28 October 2014

The NATO ENSEC COE has beengranted accreditation of International Military Organization and activatedby North Atlantic Council (NAC)

The start of the joining process of the United States of America

Georgia joins as a Contributing Partner

Enlargement with United Kingdom

Centers of excellence

Centres of Excellence (COEs) are nationally or multi-nationally funded institutions, which offer recognised expertise and experience to benefit of Alliance. COEs are supporting the NATO transformation, by avoiding the duplication of assets, resources and capabilities already present within the NATO Command.

The NATO ENSEC COE is composed of military and civilian experts from NATO and Partner Nations. The Steering Committee guides the activities of the Centre through annual Programme of Work coordinated by NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT). The largest contribution comes from Lithuania as a Framework Nation filling in the position of a Director, experts and administrative staff. Sponsoring Nations provide 1-2 representatives and fill positions of Deputy Director, Heads of Divisions and experts.

Establishment of the NATO ENSEC COE

10 July 2012

6 September 2013 11 November 2014

2 February 2015 19 April 2016

Inauguration of the NATO ENSEC COE by NATO Secretary General

Voluntary National Contribution of Canada was accepted

Czech Republic confirms Voluntary National Contribution

The beginning of the joining process of Germany

NATO ENSEC COE is currently sponsored by eight nations: Lithuania (as a Framework Nation), Estonia, France, Georgia, Italy, Latvia, Turkey and United Kingdom. Czech Republic provides a Voluntary National Contribution of one expert. USA and Germany are in transition of joining process as Sponsoring Nations.

A stable and reliable energy supply, the diversification of import routes, suppliers and energy resources, and the interconnectivity of energy networks are critically important in order to enhance resilience against political and economic pressure. While these issues are primarily the responsibility of national governments, NATO is concerned with the security implications of relevant energy developments it emphasises the importance of the diversification of energy supply in the Euro-Atlantic region.NATO will enhance its strategic awareness in this regard, through sharing intelligence and through expanding links with other international organisations. It also consults and shares information on energy security issues of particular concern to Allies.NATO continues to develop its capacity to support national authorities in protecting critical infrastructure, as well as enhancing their resilience against energy supply disruptions that could affect national and collective defence, including hybrid and cyber threats.NATO will further improve the energy efficiency of its military forces through establishing common standards, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and demonstrating energy-efficient solutions for the military.

From NATO 2016 Warsaw Summit Communique, art. 135

THE NATO ENSEC COE main areas of activities are: Enhance awareness of energy developments with security implications for Allies and the Alliance; Develop NATO’s competence in supporting the protection of critical energy infrastructure; Work towards the framework for energy efficiency of our military forces.

Main areas

Energy is a foundation for the proactive execution and sustainability of every military mission. Operational energy demand and the necessary demand and subsequently supply of fuels is the driving factors that influences the design and footprint to the logistic support structure for operations, both deployed within the theatre and across tactical to strategic lines of communication. Over the last decade, energy efficiency has become an increasing endeavour for planning and execution of Allied operations. The energy demand and cost for the purpose of military operations have significantly increased, creating logistical challenges in the battlefields, therefore negatively affecting the mobility and sustainability of deployed forces.Enhancing Energy Efficiency (EE) of the armed forces helps to improve the operational military capability, enhances range, endurance and agility. Especially in the future security environment where logistics may be constrained. Efforts on improving EE can be either material (technological solutions, allowing to use alternative energy sources, such as solar or wind, for power generation) or non – material (energy management techniques and behavioural change). Each component should complement each other in order to achieve the best possible level of EE.

NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence has been appointed as Department Head (DH) by Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) in 2015. As DH of Energy Security Education and Training the NATO ENSEC COE’s primary responsibility is to coordinate and collaborate with NATO Education and Training on Energy Security based on the requirements set by Requirement Authority.

Energy for the front line

MissionThe mission of the NATO ENSEC COE is to assist NATO, Nations, Partners and other bodies by supporting NATO’s capability development process, effectiveness of the missions, and interoperability by providing comprehensive and expertise on aspects of Energy Security.

VisionThe Vision of the NATO ENSEC COE is to be the recognized hub of knowledge and expertise in Energy Security to the benefit of the Alliance.

For NATO:

Contributes to international academia, education, training and exercises, monitoring, analysis and research;Contributes to NATO’s concepts, doctrines and capabilities development;Facilitates NATO transformation;Contributes to partnership development;Supports debate on energy and beyond at all levels.

For Partner countries:

Serves as information sharing channel;Provides opportunity to contribute to NATO courses, exercises and consequence management activities;Provides opportunity to contribute to NATO’s energy security doctrines, standards and procedures development;Provides access to lessons learned and internal NATO discussions;Offers individual and collective training opportunities;Enhance cooperation between NATO and Partner countries.

Use of NATO ENSEC COE

For industry and science:

Involves science and industry into NATO’s plans and activitiesStimulates public-private partnership and dual-use technology developmentWorks together on risks assessment methodology and smart defence solutions

NATO’s new Strategic Concept, adopted at the Lisbon Summit in November 2010, identifies “cooperative security” as one of NATO’s three essential core tasks. It states that the promotion of Euro-Atlantic security is best assured through a wide network of partnership with countries and organizations around the globe. No country or organization can deal with the complex and unpredictable challenges of the evolving security environment on its own that is why: coordinated multilateral actions are required.

Cooperation opportunities

Partnerships and Internships

The Centre has developed an intensive working relationship inside different NATO structures and developed an extensive network of partnerships with other COEs, think-tanks, universities and industries. Through this network, the NATO ENSEC COE has become a remarkable hub of knowledge and exchange platform in the Energy Security domain. Currently, the NATO ENSEC COE is a member of several NATO committees and working groups. The Centre has official partnership and cooperation agreements with entities coming from Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine..The NATO ENSEC COE also hosts an internship, fellowship and visiting professionals programme.

Experiment “Energy Management in the Military Expeditionary Environment”The main objective of the experiment is to assess the possibilities for improving operational energy efficiency and subsequent benefits to be achieved by applying the Energy Management Model, based on ISO:50001 to the Deployed Force Infrastructure in the military expeditionary environment. The outcome of this experiment supports Logistic and Sustainability efforts and will provide standardization and interoperability guidance that would directly enhance the sustainability of deployed NATO force elements. Estimated end date of this experiment is December 2017.

PublicationsJournals “Energy Security: Operational Highlights”, “Energy Security Forum” and mini-series publications „Energy in Conflict“ serve as a platform for discussion of energy security experts. They:

Introduce topics related to energy security with focus on recent developments and policy initiatives in the energy sector; Play an important role in creation and expansion of communities of interest and expertise in the field of energy security (relevant to the military);Help to raise awareness about energy developments with security implications; Help and facilitate the developments of capabilities which are important to effectively mitigate energy security challenges in the areas important to NATO.

Study on production capacities and civilian storage capacities for different types of fuel in Europe with emphasis on transportation capabilities The study aims to identify from which European refineries specific military fuels come and what are the economic conditions of these facilities, determine civilian storage capacities of these specific military fuels. In addition, NATO ENSEC COE additionally focuses on fuel supply chain in the Baltic States. The study offers a meticulous review of the production facilities (refineries), distribution systems and storage capacities of the region. The analysis provides insights on the potential impacts of any disruptions to the existing systems that could hamper the effective and timely delivery of supplies.

Main activities

Innovative Energy Solutions Military Applications – IESMA – Conference and Industry Exhibition IIESMA is a biannual event, organized by the NATO ENSEC COE and supported by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme. The purpose of IESMA is to provide a platform for information exchange on best practices, policies and technologies for advancing energy efficiency in the military, striving to improve the operational capability of military forces, enhance range, endurance and agility, particularly in the future security environment where logistics may be constrained. The event aims to stimulate: 1) the technology transfer from the civilian to the military domain; 2) the implementation of developed and innovative energy solutions in the realm; 3) the increase awareness of energy efficiency.Since the first time organized in 2011, IESMA has already gained credibility and acknowledgement among NATO and Partner Nations as successful platform to raise awareness on the significance of operational energy. Therefore it contributes to the transformation of traditional view on energy as an enabling commodity towards the energy as a force multiplier, which directly influences military capabilities and operational outcome.The upcoming IESMA 2016 is scheduled for November 16-18, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Regional Energy Security Course The aim of the course was to raise an importance of energy security developments on a global and regional scale, the NATO role in energy security, the potential means of ensuring the safety of energy supplies, mitigating terrorist and cyber threats to the critical energy infrastructure, especially in pipeline systems and the realm of maritime security. The course was held on 11th-15th April 2016 in the Conference Hall, Tbilisi Rooms Hotel, Georgia.

Annual Discipline Conference (ADC) on the NATO Energy security Education and Training (E&T) The purpose of the ADC was to provide a synchronization opportunity for the stakeholders involved in the development of the NATO Energy Security discipline. The event intends to achieve an adequate alignment and coordination of efforts to develop and sustain the ENSEC Discipline. The main outcome of the Conference was to develop the annual Discipline Alignment Plan (DAP) which shall reflect the main developments and achievements and outline the way ahead with respect to EnSeC education and training both in a NATO and non-NATO environment. The ADC was held on 27th-28th of April, 2016 at the NATO ENSEC COE in Lithuania.

Energy Security in Operational framework 2016The aim of this course is to stress the importance of energy security in operational planning by developing a common understanding of possible impacts of the CEI as well as Energy Efficiency and Behaviour change while conducting a mission analysis.The programme of the course has been developed by the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence in cooperation with the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. The course was conducted on 14th-17th of June, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Hybrid Warfare and Critical Energy Infrastructure: The Ukrainian Conflict Case-Study (CEIP Ukraine) is to monitor and analyse the military conflict in Eastern-Ukraine, and to develop a conceptual package with recommendations, knowledge and Lessons Identified for NATO members and partner countries which can be used to improve CEIP awareness and preparedness. Strengthening CEIP levels and connected security/military expertise will help to deter and repulse similar threats as experienced in Ukraine. Specifically, these tools should help risk-informed decision making and support policy and legislation, threat analysis and mitigation plans. Draw attention to energy aspects in the Ukrainian conflict, it’s implications on NATO member and partner states security, and initiate more cooperation with Ukrainian authorities, in order to raise security level.

NATO Table Top Exercise (TTX) on Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Protection 2016The aim of the exercise was to support national authorities in building resilience through improved framework of emergency readiness, planning, prevention, response and strengthen their capability to protect critical energy infrastructure (CEI) and contribute to the development of NATO’s competence in supporting the protection of CEI. The TTX was conducted on 17th-20th of May, 2016 and hosted more than 50 participants from 12 NATO and Partners nations. It featured potential scenarios related to the protection of critical energy infrastructure with a specific focus on electric grids.

The ADL Energy Security Awareness Course (Dok 100) 2016 The purpose of this course is to raise awareness on current energy developments and to provide basic knowledge on the role of new technologies in enhancing energy efficiency in the military and supporting the protection of critical infrastructure. The course has been developed by the NATO ENSEC COE in support of ACT JFT. The course is available on NATO Joint ADL platform.

The NATO Energy Security Strategic Awareness Course, 2016The aim of this course is to expose the students to current energy developments, challenges and vulnerabilities related to NATO’s energy security agenda and NATO security.This one-week NATO accredited course is a mix of lectures, Q&A session, small group seminars, panels, and facilitated discussions. The use of these different formats will facilitate the exchange of ideas on NATO’s challenges, opportunities and the way forward for energy security. The role of technology, and NATO partners’ strategic importance for Alliance’s energy security will also be discussed. The 2nd iteration of the course will be held on 26th-30th of Sep, 2016 at NATO School Oberammergau, Germany.

Project “Energy Efficiency: Cultural Change”The aim of the project is to use culture-related means for turning energy into a critical enabler for military operations and an efficient capability in power projection in areas of concern to NATO. Those means are to be further tested during relevant experiments, approved by authorised bodies and are expected to be used for preparation of tailor-made education and training courses as well as exercises. The latter shall enable the development of common standards, language and procedures as well as adequate capabilities, which will ensure better use of energy resources and logistics.

Study “Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection: Ukrainian case and lessons learned”Aim of the study is to make an overview of situation, to discuss criteria for Critical Energy Infrastructure objects, as well as possible threats, risks, response measures and to look deeper into the Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection during the Ukrainian crisis and provide comparative analysis for the CEE region and Baltic States in particular.

HPGSHybrid Power Generation and Management System (HPGS). The Deployable Modular Hybrid Power Generation and management System is the new and unique system among the members of the Alliance that utilizes both, renewable energy sources and conventional fuel. The electricity power obtained through renewable sources is charged into batteries for storing it there. The system is used to improve energy efficiency and diminish dependence from conventional power sources. The System was developed on Canadian funding. Canada made a contribution of CAD 1 million to the project of the NATO ENSEC COE on the basis of its growing relevance in the region.

NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence

The General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania, Šilo g. 5A (K-22), LT-10322 Vilnius, LithuaniaPhone: +370 203 26 86Fax: +370 706 71010 Email: info@enseccoe.org