Nextgen Generators Needed ... Stat !!!

Another great article from NDIA's National Defense Magazine, which seems to have more and better energy coverage than ever before. This one describes the enormous challenge of delivering tons of fuel overland to the remote, mountainous regions of Afghanistan, and the scarcity of generators to consume it, and the great gains we'd make if only we could field some more tough, efficient generators. Nat Defense's Sandra Irwin:

The gargantuan demand for generators is straining the military’s already overburdened logistics support system, said officials. Transporting fuel on dangerous mine-infested roads also creates additional hazards for troops and contractors.

Soldiers in the field are suffering from senior DOD leadership's lack of operational energy vision and strategy. According to the GAO:

The Defense Department “still lacks an effective approach to fuel demand at forward-deployed locations.” The U.S. military currently operates several hundred bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2008, the Defense Department supplied more than 68 million gallons of fuel each month on average to support those installations. “Fuel demands for these operations is higher than for any war in history."

Calling anyone in industry or academia who could help ... even a little. More energy efficient generators, while not as glamorous a technology as say, solar, wind or fuel cells, would have immediate, life saving consequences for our troops in Afghanistan.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons