Posted on 02/23/2012 5:59:43 PM PST by U-238
Eric Shields, an engineer with the Naval Surface Warfare Centers Carderock Division, never thought he would have to monitor the use of a microwave oven in Afghanistan.
But that is exactly what he and his colleagues have been doing to gauge how much power Marines are using in theater.
If the microwaves and coffee pots are turned on at the same time, it could trip your generator, Shields told a recent Institute for Defense and Government Advancement symposium. Sometimes a generator is left on too long, and the temperature inside the tent drops so much that Marines are forced to take their cots outside to sleep.
The military over the past decade has been grappling with the issue of power and its effects on everything from the mundane like microwaves and coffee pots to the sustainment of troops on foot patrols. But after years of study and laboratory work, troops still need a multitude of batteries to power their many devices, all of it adding weight to sometimes already intolerable loads.
In 2004, an Army platoon needed 889 batteries of seven different types that weighed about 160 pounds to power 13 individual systems during a five-day mission. The demand for power has increased since then.
Were using more energy per soldier than ever before, said Army Col. Bruce McPeak, director of materiel systems development at the Combined Arms Support Command. The fastest growing requirement on the battlefield today is electric power.
Part of the problem is that energy demands on the front lines are growing quickly and technology cant keep up. But military leaders also are beginning to reflect on how their own policies contribute to the dilemma.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaldefensemagazine.org ...
“Nuclear power is icky!” ~Peacecreeps and Treehuggers Local 214
What do you think that powers their Playstation?
The patent has been filed for NAG for military use.
Solar power and wind turbines, naturally.
It’ll get real bad once Obama makes them drive Chevy Volts in theater.
All fine and good until a bullet holes it... or bomb shrapnel penetrates it.
I wonder how much extra weight would be needed to adequately shield it from penetration from most battlefield weaponry?
I always thought it was skittle-sh!tting unicorns ;-)
These are extremely well shielded. The DoD is considering this.
Why the hell would they choose to heat coffee and cook food WITH ELECTRICITY???
Heat coffee, cook food...WITH FIRE, YA NUTS! sheesh. You’re all in tents. save the electricity for AC.
Its the new armed forces.
They have washers and tumbler dryers in submarines and naval ships
Well, ships have nuclear reactors so they got electricity to spare. But ground troops in tents running generators so they can use a microwave oven is just stupid.
They soldiers have other things like flashlights,GPS, night vision,heaters.It get very cold out there in Afghanistan during the winter time. There is even snow on the ground. What about A/C in the summertime? All those need power.
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