Tuesday, March 28, 2023
  • About us
    • Write for us
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms of use
    • Privacy Policy
  • RSS Feeds
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
DefenceTalk
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
DefenceTalk
No Result
View All Result

Army to field energy-saving systems to deploying BCT

by Army News Service
March 15, 2012
in Army News
3 min read
0
Renewable Energy: Navy Solar Farm Construction Underway

A view of solar panels recently installed on the roof of Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Headquarters, Old Town Complex

14
VIEWS

As part of the Army’s Net Zero Operational Energy program, Soldiers from Europe’s 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team learned to operate and maintain multiple hybrid-power management systems.

The 173rd, headquartered in Vicenza, Italy, received the specialty training as part of its Mission Rehearsal Exercise, or MRE, to prepare for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. The MRE is being conducted at Hohenfels Training Area in Germany, March 6-22.

The Army’s Rapid Equipping Force, known as REF, provided the specialty training through its Energy to the Edge, or E2E program, which supports small tactical units operating at remote locations with suites of energy harvesting, power management and distribution systems.

“The 173rd allowed us to catch someone in the right timeline. It was the first opportunity to actually train a unit at home-station, look at the equipment during their CTC [combat training center] rotation, and actually take it into theater and put it to use,” said Col. Peter A. Newell, director of the REF.

The 173rd’s training schedule, deployment timeline and their future location at a forward operating base, known as a FOB, in Afghanistan made the unit an ideal choice for E2E training, said Newell. The equipment should solve some unique challenges, he said, because there are fewer forces in theater and the environment is rapidly changing. Small combat outposts, or COPs and FOBs, may be more geographically isolated from higher headquarters, making resupply missions more difficult.

The REF’s mission is to provide urgent capabilities to Soldiers employed globally by harnessing current and emerging technologies to improve operation and effectiveness. For its E2E initiative, REF has partnered with program managers from Mobile Electric Power and Soldier Power, and the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command to provide portable mission power to Soldiers at combat outposts and FOBs.

The Soldiers trained on the Advanced Medium Mobile Electric Power Source , or AAMPS, a replacement generator for the Tactical Quiet generator, which trainers say should increase energy efficiency by more than 20 percent.

“We’re training to use the equipment and perform maintenance, such as replacing parts and tracing wires,” said Spc. Robert F. Martin, a generator mechanic from 2nd Bn., 503rd Inf. Regt. “This will mean less required manpower, more fuel efficiency and fewer parts to actually fix, so you won’t have to bring Soldiers out to COPs.”

Martin said it’s valuable to the unit. “The generators don’t wet stack, which means the shelf-life is longer. The generators won’t break down as often, he said.”

“The generators may be connected to solar panels that store energy produced by the sun and allow the batteries in the generator to rest when it reaches capacity, which reduces equipment run time, man-hours and maintenance costs,” said Brandon W. Bloodworth of Barbaricum, the contract agency in partnership with the REF. Bloodworth travels to remote bases providing energy assessments and recommendations to improve operational readiness, safety and comfort.

“We’re looking at energy to increase capability,” he said.

The REF and its partners plan to deploy engineer advisers, like Bloodworth, to COPs and FOBs to assist the units as they improve energy efficiency. The advisers will reduce some of the burden placed on the Soldiers.

Although fuel saving is one benefit of the program, trainers say the initiative is about more than cost savings. For example, there are between 40 and 70 personnel stationed at a COP. Sustaining the energy requirements, not including food and water, means there needs to be at least 6,000 gallons of fuel per month.

The REF and its partners are anticipating the needs of the units based on the current environment, but Newell says a change in culture has to happen to make it work.

“Understanding power and energy management at the small-unit level, platoons and companies, is a cultural change and not something we’ve done in the Army,” said Newell. “Units may experience very long logistic resupply requirements on roads that are a great threat to the Soldiers that have to drive those routes. The guy that is training the Afghan National Army is the same guy that has to secure the valleys and clear the roads for the dangerous convoy movement to sustain the COP or FOB.”

Newell said, by conserving power, the dangerous 10-day resupply missions are reduced, allowing more Soldiers to focus on the combat mission, while staying off dangerous roads.

“This initiative is not just about saving-fuel,” said Newell, “It’s about saving lives.”

The 173rd ABCT receives the new equipment in theater.

This month, the unit is training with multinational forces from Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany. The JMRC is the Army’s only overseas combat training center, and regularly trains U.S. and multinational forces for missions in Afghanistan.

For more information or to learn more about the Joint Multinational Training Command’s unique multinational training mission, please visit the JMTC web site: http://www.hqjmtc.army.mil.

Tags: Army & Security Forces Newsenergygermanysolarsolar energy
Previous Post

North Korea’s Kim tells military to ‘wipe out’ enemies

Next Post

Canada may back out of F35 purchase: minister

Related Posts

Indonesia Orders Additional CAESAR Artillery Systems

France to send more mobile artillery to Ukraine

February 1, 2023

France will ship 12 more Caesar truck-mounted howitzers and fresh air defence equipment to Ukraine to bolster the fight against...

Leopard tanks to arrive in Ukraine around late March: Germany

Leopard tanks to arrive in Ukraine around late March: Germany

January 27, 2023

Leopard tanks pledged by Germany to help Ukraine repel Russia's invasion will arrive in "late March, early April", Defence Minister...

Next Post
Northrop Begins Production on First International F-35 JSF

Canada may back out of F35 purchase: minister

Latest Defense News

Ahead of talks, North Korea says fired ‘new’ sub-launched missile

North Korea says it tested new underwater nuclear attack ‘drone’

March 24, 2023
China Naval Modernization: Implications for US Navy

Chinese military says ‘warned’ US warship to leave S. China Sea

March 24, 2023
Urban warfare ‘nightmare’ looms if Russia enters Ukraine cities

NATO rejects Russian complaints on UK uranium ammo

March 24, 2023
Russian navy in show of strength with 26 new ships this year

Russian navy ‘repelled’ drone attack on Crimea port

March 23, 2023
Officials provide details on building the Space Force, its structure, and operating imperatives

Reagan’s ‘Star Wars’ at 40: Battle of the satellites

March 23, 2023
China will ‘never commit to abandoning the use of force’ on Taiwan: Xi

China diplomatic offensive lays down new challenge for US

March 22, 2023

Defense Forum Discussions

  • Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates 2.0
  • Military Aviation News and Discussion
  • Royal New Zealand Air Force
  • The Russian-Ukrainian War Thread
  • RSN capabilities
  • DefenceTalk's Birthday, About Us pages and other info
  • Royal Australian Air Force [RAAF] News, Discussions and Updates
  • Integration of missile defense systems from various countries
  • Russia and the West
  • NATO
DefenceTalk

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com

Navigate Site

  • Defence Forum
  • Military Photos
  • RSS Feeds
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com