COLUMBUS, Ohio –
Batteries and tactical energy storage should be included in pre-positioned war reserve materiel to ensure today’s modernized joint force is electronically equipped for success, Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime officials say in a white paper published last month (DLA common access card required to view).
The document, titled “Incorporating Tactical Energy Storage into War Reserves: DLA’s Vital Role in Sustaining Strategic Assets,” explores the growing importance of accessible, sustainable energy sources in war reserve inventories as new technology changes the way America’s forces fight.
Reevaluating and expanding war stock will align energy resources with new weapon system technology and strengthen integrated deterrence, noted primary authors Army Col. Sue Styer, director of DLA Land and Maritime’s Supplier Operations Directorate, and Army Maj. Emille Prosko, aide-de-camp.
Pre-positioned war reserves include mission-essential equipment, supplies, munitions and stock strategically located around the world to support military forces during the initial phases of an operation. Combatant commanders customize war reserve material based on Defense Department guidelines and operational requirements of the specific theater, while the military services manage and fund their own inventories.
Modern warfare requires batteries for small devices and large power generation systems that are portable on the battlefield. The absence of batteries and tactical energy storage in forward-deployed war reserves creates a critical gap when contingency operations begin, the authors explain.
Aligning energy resources with the needs of modern warfighters can enhance rapid response while minimizing the risk of contested supply lines, the authors continue. As the DOD’s only logistics combat support agency, DLA supports military forces with over 4,000 types of batteries and provides battlefield energy solutions.
“The agency manages a diverse battery portfolio – from the ubiquitous AAA battery powering wildland firefighting efforts to high-energy thermal batteries supporting the intercontinental ballistic missiles of the nuclear triad,” Styer and Prosko wrote.
DLA spent nearly $252 million on batteries in FY24 to support the services and combatant commanders, maintaining on-hand stock for the top 53 lithium-ion battery requirements, as well as the 6TAGM lead-acid battery that powers over 100 weapon systems. However, that stock is designed to meet surge requirements rather than fill war reserve inventories, Styer and Prosko note.
Storing items like batteries in war stocks can present risk due to varying shelf lives of different products, they add. Effective battery management strategies and improvements in battery innovation can minimize waste.
In 2023, DLA chartered the DLA Tactical Energy Storage Working Group to develop and execute a Tactical Energy Storage Strategy to address all aspects of the battery lifecycle. Working group members partner with the military services and defense industrial base to improve end-to-end readiness and cost effectiveness to support campaign and contingency plans.
DLA also seeks opportunities to reduce supply chain risks through battery innovation. Among them is the Battery Network program, or BATTNET, which brings together government and defense industry partners to develop high-performance battery technology solutions. Recent innovations from DLA’s research and development program include an integrated lithium-ion-based power system to increase weapons system runtime and mitigate obsolescence concerns. BATTNET’s advancements in new manufacturing designs and processes for lithium-ion and bipolar lead-acid power sources enhance operational reach and endurance for U.S. military tactical vehicles, aircraft and equipment, Styer and Prosko wrote.
“To echo the DLA director’s recent challenge to operate in a contested logistics environment, we don’t have to have everything, everywhere, all at once, but we should have the things we need at the right place and the right time,” they concluded.
The paper is available on DLA's Campaign of Learning webpage (DLA common access card required), which features additional white papers and a curated reading list on supply chain management, history, emotional intelligence and more.