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Many commercial marine products evolve from mili- tary roots. At Euronaval last month in Paris, contractors large and small from around the globe showcased new and emerging technologies. According to General Electric, there is a new era dawning for naval engineering and propulsion. ?I?ve seen the future of naval propulsion, and it?s electrify- ing,? said GE Power Conversion?s Captain Mark Dan- natt Royal Navy (retd.), speaking at Euronaval. Capt. Dannatt?s comments came as he outlined the lat- est advances in advanced naval electrical technology from a GE perspective. The world?s navies are not ex- empt from these operational, financial and environ- mental imperatives?in fact, they often are more exposed to the scrutiny of politicians, taxpayers and an environmentally aware public than some of their com- mercial counterparts.Against this background, Captain Dannatt believes that we have entered the age of electrically powered and propelled warships and support vessels. ?It?s increas- ingly common for naval ship designers to be directed to give increased weighting to through life costs of naval ships including fuel consumption and routine mainte-nance costs based on their selected power and propul- sion options,? said Dannatt. ?These studies often conclude that some form of electrical propulsion is wor- thy of further investigation based not only on fuel and maintenance costs but also on the consequential impact on improvements in ship availability and extended op- erational autonomy.? GE?s Power Conversion business provides complete power and propulsion system packages, including prime NavyNavyTech In Paris Navy Technolgy Takes Center Stage MR#11 (58-65):MR Template 11/4/2012 10:59 AM Page 64