Multifunctional voltage source converters (VSCs) are desired for shipboard power systems. The opportunity to extend the functionality of a particular VSC on demand, combined with power system reconfiguration strategies may provide desired redundancy to back up power electronic converters that might be destroyed as a result of a battle damage or material casualty. The space for power electronics may be downsized if the VSCs are capable of performing multiple functions. In addition, the flexibility of the energy management can be enhanced in shipboard power systems if a single VSC can perform multiple functions. The functionality of a VSC in many cases is restricted to a single task or set of tasks by its control architecture. Despite the great number of different control strategies suggested for VSCs, nearly all use similar methods for generation of the reference signals. These methods generally depend upon the use of filters to extract reference signals for the components that are to be injected into or drawn from the system. These methods of control are not flexible. The main objective of the dissertation is the development of a flexible reference signal generator for VSCs that allows online maximization of its possible functions. Furthermore, the switching frequency of a VSC is generally above 10 kHz for many applications, and carries a significant amount of high frequency noise. This necessitates the use of EMI filters, which carry an extra cost and increase the overall bulk of the power electronics. This may not be acceptable for shipboard power systems, where the space and weight requirements are usually stringent. Thus, in addition to investigation of various reference signal generator (RSG) strategies for VSCs, alternative solutions to attenuate EMI levels in the shipboard power system environment are explored.