The Air Force needs to focus more on energy efficiencies during the acquisition process for new weapon systems instead of waiting until a system is already in the field, said Kevin Geiss, the Air Force’s deputy assistant secretary for energy. During an AFA-Air Force Breakfast Program address in Arlington, Va., on Oct. 23, Geiss said officials should consider much earlier than they do now where a platform’s fuel is based, the resiliency of that fuel supply, and the service’s ability to support operations. “We need to think left of the [analysis of alternatives] because, at the end of the day, when we buy something, a lot of the strategic decisions have already been made about how a system is utilized,” said Geiss. He emphasized that energy is a critical factor in nearly every weapon system requirement so the Air Force must “ensure that energy is appropriately on the table.” He said his office is discussing “the most appropriate ways to do that” with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the other services.
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…