U.S. Marines Take Steps Towards Energy Efficiency on Battlefield

The U.S. Marine Corp experienced a first today in Afghanistan when an energy audit was ordered on site in the war zone to determine how large fuel costs and use could be cut down. The General of the Marines Corps Commandant, James T Conway, said that he desired energy efficiency experts to be brought in onsite in Afghanistan in order to cut down on fuel bills towards the end of the month. 

“We need to understand where the fuel goes,” Conway said as he spoke at a Marines Corps energy summit today. “The largest growing demand on the battlefield today is for electricity and how we create that.”

US marines located in Afghanistan use up to 800,000 gallons of fuel a day. Yesterday’s summit marked the first time the US military has acknowledged and proposed shifts to be made to lower energy consumption and become conscious of climate change.

“We are going to more efficient. We have got to be,” Conway said.

In 2002 the US Pentagon said that America’s increasing reliance on fossil fuels would be become a national security concern. Additionally, last May, in 2008, the Pentagon implored military bases to start lowering their carbon impact on the environment by moving towards more sustainable fuel sources. While several home bases in the United States have begun to implement measure of conservations, Conway’s announcement marks the first attempts to conserve on the battle field abroad.

The marines in Afghanistan will rely on energy auditors to develop ways to cut down energy consumption, as well as reduce the equipment each marine carries. Marines carry up to 9lbs of batteries to power portable electronics, currently. Additional concerns include fuel for vehicles, such as tanks and aircraft, and water which has to be shipped in for troops.

“It is a shocking figure to compute what it costs by the time you pour that gallon of gas into a Humvee or an aircraft in the place you are operating,” Conway said.

On location a gallon of petrol may cost up to $100, a cost which is becoming unsustainable for the military.

thanks to guardian.co.uk for the above quotes, for more information on this story please view their website.