Fighting Form: Military Takes On Battery Fatigue

[ALS]

Another big push is to develop "soldier power," or ways for soldiers in the field to become their own sources of energy.

Keith Johnson - WSJ - June 16, 2012

Since at least the time of Alexander the Great, military leaders have sought to dominate logistics. Today, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps are grappling with a unique logistical challenge that has mushroomed in the past decade: the proliferation of electronic devices and batteries required to keep the average foot soldier in the fight.

The explosion in electronic gear in the modern military, from radios and GPS equipment to night-vision goggles, means a typical soldier may carry a dozen devices and 70 batteries on a three-day patrol. That adds weight—16 pounds or so—to already-overburdened warriors.

A typical soldier or Marine today carries more than 100 pounds on his back, roughly twice as much as dogfaces did in World War II. A typical infantry company of roughly 150 soldiers requires more than 6,600 batteries, weighing more than 1,400 pounds, for 72 hours of operation. All that weight slows down soldiers on foot, tethers them to constant resupply, and contributes to a rash of muscular and skeletal injuries caused by excessively heavy packs.... [Read More]

[herm]

eventually the tents themselves will be made with photovoltaic fabrics.