Expeditionary energy economics
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Expeditionary energy economics (e3) is an emerging field of energy economics that addresses energy management in the military expeditionary environment or as part of the disaster response stage of the emergency management cycle. The term was first introduced in 2018 in an article by U.S. Army Major Ion A. Iftimie, a research fellow within the Strategic Analysis Department of the NATO Energy Security Center of excellence in Vilnius, Lithuania. Major Iftimie proposed that the successful megacity counterinsurgency (COIN) campaigns of the twenty-first century will depend on fast solutions to critical energy infrastructure (CEI) vulnerabilities within individual communities.[1] The practice of energy management in the military expeditionary environment (EMMEE) is not new. The US Marine Corps has an Expeditionary Energy Office,[citation needed] and NATO uses the new field to test the applicability and value of a draft military adaptation of ISO 50001:2011 (Energy management systems – Requirements with guidance for use).[2]
The successful implementation of e3 theory requires that COIN practitioners have a basic understanding of CEI. Iftimie proves his hypothesis with personal vignettes from his time as an infantry platoon leader during the Iraq War troop surge of 2007. In Baghdad, before the 2007 surge, the unreliability of CEI created a safe haven and power base for insurgents.[3] During the surge, however, the effects of military units promoting community based economics (CBE) and high-risk/high-impact innovation (HRH2I) as a solution to local energy supply shortages on Haifa Street were a significant increase in the standard of living, a decrease in ethno-sectarian violence, and an increase in support for the Coalition Forces. The Haifa Street case study shows that one of the most vital elements of successful megacity COIN is facilitating rapid access of the urban community to affordable and reliable energy sources—which is a matter of managing both security of CEI and security of supply.[1]