Stop Funding America's enemies.David Axe, May 26 2006 DefenseTech.org
"Imagine if, in the middle of World War II, the U.S. government and its people gave Hitler billions of dollars, to train troops and build new weapons. Sounds impossible, right? But that's more or less the situation we find ourselves in today, former CIA director Jim Woolsey recently told the Naval Postgraduate School.The U.S. is in the opening stages of a "Long War" with Islamic extremists. And these adversaries -- whether they're found in madrassas in Riyadh or the government in Tehran -- are funded, in so small part, by oil revenue. Petrodollars go, more or less directly, to training radicals. Petrodollars get funneled to those who make and plant bombs."Except for our own Civil War," Woolsey notes, "this is the only war we fought that we are paying for both sides. We pay Saudi Arabia $160 billion for its oil, and $3 or $4 billion of that goes to the Wahhabis, who teach children to hate. We are paying for these terrorists with our SUVs."And we are paying for them with our tanks, our Bradleys, and our fighter jets, observes Defense Technology International which has a special issue out on "The Military and the End of Oil." In 2004, the U.S. military gobbled up 400,000 barrels of fuel a day, at cost of $6.7 billion. A year later, those costs had climbed to $8.8 billion. In 2006, the price tag is expected to total $10 billion."The irony of this situation becomes more apparent when you realize that the war in Iraq makes the military consume 56,000 more barrels a day. When you hear about those huge supplemental funds in the tens of billions of dollars a year Bush is demanding for the war in Iraq. You realize that most of that is coming from two things, fuel costs and maintenance costs. The same mile per gallon standards applied to civilan cars do not apply to military cars for two reasons. One: The miltary's average vehicles weigh much more then most civilian vehicles, fact is the more weight the power train has to propel, the more fuel it consumes. Second point, the defense of our nation is a national priority regardless of the cost. The main reason for maintenace costs is because of the high use of military vehicles in Iraq and the complexity of the vehicles. If we ever want to gain an advantage in this war, Americans and our government have to make it a priority to invest research and development funds into better hybrid cars and cars that run on biofuels. The next step is to invest in getting this technolgy out through our military's procurment budget. Americans must say to automakers that we want to stop hearing about advanced fuel saving technolgies and want to buy vehicles with these technologies. Reducing maintenace cost's for miltary vehicles will go along with investing in new fuel saving technologies. Miltary planes also take up a huge amount of fuel to operate, we must also invest more in bio fuels for military planes. Were starting to do this and must continue to do this more by increasing R&D funds for such activities.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Green Energy for Iraq
Green Energy For Iraq
In the Iraq War Zone, US Army calls for "Green Power"By Mark Clayton Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor.
Pentagon brass from the top United States commander in western Iraq: Renewable energy - solar and wind-power generators - urgently needed to help win the fight. Send soon.Calling for more energy in the middle of oil-rich Iraq might sound odd to some. But not to Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer, whose deputies on July 25 sent the Pentagon a "Priority 1" request for "a self-sustainable energy solution" including "solar panels and wind turbines."Apparently, the brass is heeding that call. The US Army's Rapid Equipping Force (REF), which speeds frontline requests, is "expected soon" to begin welcoming proposals from companies to build and ship to Iraq 183 frontline renewable-energy power stations, an REF spokesman confirms. The stations would use a mix of solar and wind power to augment diesel generators at US outposts, the spokesman says.Despite desert temperatures, the hot "thermal signature" of a diesel generator can call enemy attention to US outposts, experts say. With convoys still vulnerable to ambush, the fewer missions needed to resupply outposts with JP-8 fuel to run power generators - among the Army's biggest fuel guzzlers - the better, the memo says.In my opinion this article really shows that our military is learning a lot of different stuff from the war in Iraq. Another thing the military is working on is reducing the logistics it needs to operate, in fact 70% of the logistics load we need to operate in Iraq is oil. By investing in hybrid electric vehicles and E-Flex vehicles (vehicles that can drive with a variety of different substances , such as Ethanol, Hydrogen, Compressed Natural Gas, Electric Batteries to name a few), we could considerably reduce the amount of fuel we consume and the trips that fuel trucks have to take to make sure our vehicles won't run out of gas. I hope news articles like this will help congress realize it has to fund these programs more. Another major thing I noticed is that there are new renewable energy companies starting up in Iraq. One of these, Areej Baghdad produces photovoltaic systems, solar electric power systems, solar roofing systems and solar outdoor lighting systems. My main point is, is that by investing military funds into these new companies the US military could help develop an important new industry. Instead of sending the Request for proposals to American companies, they could send it to Areej Baghdad, in least the solar power part. In fact this could bring about a partnership between renewable energy companies in America and Iraq. Another thing commanders complain about is that insurgents attack Iraqs vital electrical transmission lines and this is one of the reasons Iraqi's don't recieve that many hours of power a day. By developing renewable energy sources, solar power in particular. Iraqi's would not have to worry about transmission lines being sabotaged resulting in reduced electric power. They could generate their own power! Especially in the sunny hot climates of Iraq.
In the Iraq War Zone, US Army calls for "Green Power"By Mark Clayton Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor.
Pentagon brass from the top United States commander in western Iraq: Renewable energy - solar and wind-power generators - urgently needed to help win the fight. Send soon.Calling for more energy in the middle of oil-rich Iraq might sound odd to some. But not to Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer, whose deputies on July 25 sent the Pentagon a "Priority 1" request for "a self-sustainable energy solution" including "solar panels and wind turbines."Apparently, the brass is heeding that call. The US Army's Rapid Equipping Force (REF), which speeds frontline requests, is "expected soon" to begin welcoming proposals from companies to build and ship to Iraq 183 frontline renewable-energy power stations, an REF spokesman confirms. The stations would use a mix of solar and wind power to augment diesel generators at US outposts, the spokesman says.Despite desert temperatures, the hot "thermal signature" of a diesel generator can call enemy attention to US outposts, experts say. With convoys still vulnerable to ambush, the fewer missions needed to resupply outposts with JP-8 fuel to run power generators - among the Army's biggest fuel guzzlers - the better, the memo says.In my opinion this article really shows that our military is learning a lot of different stuff from the war in Iraq. Another thing the military is working on is reducing the logistics it needs to operate, in fact 70% of the logistics load we need to operate in Iraq is oil. By investing in hybrid electric vehicles and E-Flex vehicles (vehicles that can drive with a variety of different substances , such as Ethanol, Hydrogen, Compressed Natural Gas, Electric Batteries to name a few), we could considerably reduce the amount of fuel we consume and the trips that fuel trucks have to take to make sure our vehicles won't run out of gas. I hope news articles like this will help congress realize it has to fund these programs more. Another major thing I noticed is that there are new renewable energy companies starting up in Iraq. One of these, Areej Baghdad produces photovoltaic systems, solar electric power systems, solar roofing systems and solar outdoor lighting systems. My main point is, is that by investing military funds into these new companies the US military could help develop an important new industry. Instead of sending the Request for proposals to American companies, they could send it to Areej Baghdad, in least the solar power part. In fact this could bring about a partnership between renewable energy companies in America and Iraq. Another thing commanders complain about is that insurgents attack Iraqs vital electrical transmission lines and this is one of the reasons Iraqi's don't recieve that many hours of power a day. By developing renewable energy sources, solar power in particular. Iraqi's would not have to worry about transmission lines being sabotaged resulting in reduced electric power. They could generate their own power! Especially in the sunny hot climates of Iraq.
Big Solutions sometimes come in small packages.
June 18, 2005 "Route Irish" is the local name for the heavily travelled, and highly dangerous road between the secure Green Zone in Baghdad and Baghdad International Airport. There have been so many ambushes and IED explosions on that route that all U.S. State Department personnel were forbidden from travelling the route by road last December (2004) and must use helicopters instead. If you don’t have a helicopter at your disposal in Baghdad, as nearly all Military and civilian contractor personnel don’t, there’s really only one certain option if you wish to remain alive and that’s to travel in one of the heavily armoured Rhino Runner buses. Without a shadow of doubt, the Rhino Runner is the toughest bus on the planet – when the human value of the cargo is V.I.P. and above, it is the military’s vehicle of choice to provide safe ground transportation. Regular users of the vehicle in Baghdad include U.S. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, General Dick Myers, Saddam Hussein and all other V.I.P. prisoners. The stories surrounding the massive attacks that Rhino Runners have withstood border on the preposterous.Manufactured by Labock Technologies, of Florida, the Rhino Runner is a custom, hand-made bus built from chassis up.The common approach to an armouring solution for buses and minibuses (also SUVs and luxury cars) is to armour existing vehicles. The problem with armouring existing vehicles is obtaining a balance between protection and performance. Therefore, regular armoured buses are only protected against low-level threats, and offer no protection on the roof and floor.Instead of adapting armouring for an existing vehicle, Labock uses the most appropriate chassis and motors, and custom builds vehicles with protection against AP (armour piercing) bullets and significant bomb blast protection. The Rhino Runner is fully protected (sides, front, back, roof, floor, and even glass) against up to Type IV (NIJ standard) including NATO calibres. All the driver and passenger cabins are built using the company’s special materials and know-how, which is considerable. Amongst other inventions of the company, which was founded by a former Israeli commando just four years ago, are special composite bulletproof armour, which is so light that it floats in water, and one-way bulletproof glass that prevents bullets from getting to you, but enables you to shoot through the glass at those shooting at you.Rhino Runner busses are available in a range of seating capacities (17, 24 and 36) and configurations for purposes such as prisoner transport, ambulance, SWAT, command and control, and they can be made to order. Apart from the 360 degree ballistic protection, the vehicles have a side and back door and an emergency exit on the roof and run-flat tyres for when changing a tyre just isn’t a viable option.On November 27, 2004, a convoy of three Rhino Runner buses were midway to the airport on Route Irish when a suicide bomber driving a BMW sedan, heavily laden with explosives, veered in between the lead Rhino Runner, and the second Runner. From a distance of approximately two meters from the second bus, the terrorist detonated the explosives, estimated to be more than 250 pounds in weight. The huge explosion generated a crater more than 6 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep in the asphalt road, and created a dust cloud 1,000 feet long that took several minutes to dissipate.There were 17 military and civilian contractor passengers, plus a driver, on the second Rhino Runner bus at the time of the explosion. In the face of what veteran Army officers described as a "massive explosion", there were no injuries whatsoever."
http://www.gizmag.com/go/4178/
This amazing vehicle is built by a small company, Labock Technologies . You would think it would be built by General Dynamics, BAE, Lockheed Martin or United Defense. Increasingly, smaller companies are the ones coming up with the innovations for the War in Iraq. The more popular mine resistant vehicles are the Cougar and the Buffalo. The second vehicle we are going to look at is the Cougar.
Developed and produced by Force Protection Inc. is a multi-purpose, 12 ton mine protected armored patrol vehicle. The design uses a monocoque, bulletproof and blast-proof capsule fitted with transparent armored glass, which protects the driver and crew from small arms fire, mine blasts and IED. Typical roles for the vehicle are armored, mine protected troop transport for security, stability and peacekeeping missions, protected weapons platform, law enforcement special response vehicle, counter IED an EOD / Range Clearance vehicle. The vehicle can accommodate 10 passengers in a 4x4 configuration and 16 passengers in a 6x6 configuration. Cougar was selected to serve with the US Marine Corps as a Hardened Engineer Vehicle (HEV), to support engineer mine clearing and explosive ordnance disposal teams deployed in Iraq. As of June 2006, there are more than 130 Cougars and Buffalos in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since their deployment to Iraq in 2003 the Cougar and Buffalo vehicles employed with explosive ordnance disposal teams and engineers units have taken about 1,000 IED hits without a loss of life, said Wayne Phillips, a company vice president in charge of Marine Corps programs. The vehicle has proven to be superior to less protected vehicles, such as the up-armored Humvee or armored trucks.
http://www.defense-update.com/products/c/cougar.htm
There was a news report on this vehicle on ABC News on March 15th 2007. I'm glad these vehicles are getting the mainstream media's attention.
Now lets talk about the Buffalo.
The Buffalo heavily armored EOD vehicle follows the South African monocoque capsule protection concept with US manufactured automotive platform, offering protection from IEDs and up to 45 pound landmine explosion under any wheel and 30 pound mine explosion under the centerline protection. An upgrade package offers protection from Self Forged Fragmentation (SFF) mines. The vehicle is used with US forces in Iraq for route clearing and counter IED activities. Since their deployment to Iraq in 2003 the Cougar and Buffalo vehicles employed with explosive ordnance disposal teams and engineers units have taken about 1,000 IED hits without a loss of life, said Wayne Phillips, a company vice president in charge of Marine Corps programs.The Buffalo uses steel wheels and disc rollers which allow the vehicle to be driven over and detonate anti-personnel mines without sustaining damage. As a result, unusually large numbers of mines can be neutralized in a short period of time. The vehicle retains all round (including roof) ballistic protection from 7.62mm NATO ball cartridges. This armor is upgradeable to protect against Dragunov AP cartridges. In a recent incident that involved a Buffalo vehicle which ran over an anti-tank mine, the blast tore off a wheel and destroyed an axle on the vehicle. There were no casualties to the crew inside the Buffalo and the vehicle maintained its mobility and drove itself out of the minefield. It was repaired overnight and was back in operation the following day.
Differing from other EOD vehicles, The heavily protected Buffalo is a central element in the US Army's counter-IED 'hunter-killer' concept. that protects convoys against the threat of mines and IEDs. enables engineers to inspect suspected objects from safe distance, using the robotic arm and video cameras, operated from the relative safety of the protected cabin. large windows of armored glass provide good visibility to the sides of the vehicle, to enable effective operation on route patrols and dealing with suspected IEDs.
http://www.defense-update.com/products/b/buffalo.htm
The Buffalo vehicle is cool because it offers great protection with IED searching capabilites. It can also serve in clearing mine fields with its long mechanical arm being able to detonate explosives. Right now Force Protection is working on new variant called the Cheetah its smaller and is more suited to urban operations in terms of actually being able to fight back. It can be equiped with remote weapon systems, most likely grenade launchers and 50 caliber machine guns. Labock Technologies is also developing a smaller variant called the Rhino Raptor. It looks like an up armored Humvee, but I'm sure it offers much more protection.
http://www.gizmag.com/go/4178/
This amazing vehicle is built by a small company, Labock Technologies . You would think it would be built by General Dynamics, BAE, Lockheed Martin or United Defense. Increasingly, smaller companies are the ones coming up with the innovations for the War in Iraq. The more popular mine resistant vehicles are the Cougar and the Buffalo. The second vehicle we are going to look at is the Cougar.
Developed and produced by Force Protection Inc. is a multi-purpose, 12 ton mine protected armored patrol vehicle. The design uses a monocoque, bulletproof and blast-proof capsule fitted with transparent armored glass, which protects the driver and crew from small arms fire, mine blasts and IED. Typical roles for the vehicle are armored, mine protected troop transport for security, stability and peacekeeping missions, protected weapons platform, law enforcement special response vehicle, counter IED an EOD / Range Clearance vehicle. The vehicle can accommodate 10 passengers in a 4x4 configuration and 16 passengers in a 6x6 configuration. Cougar was selected to serve with the US Marine Corps as a Hardened Engineer Vehicle (HEV), to support engineer mine clearing and explosive ordnance disposal teams deployed in Iraq. As of June 2006, there are more than 130 Cougars and Buffalos in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since their deployment to Iraq in 2003 the Cougar and Buffalo vehicles employed with explosive ordnance disposal teams and engineers units have taken about 1,000 IED hits without a loss of life, said Wayne Phillips, a company vice president in charge of Marine Corps programs. The vehicle has proven to be superior to less protected vehicles, such as the up-armored Humvee or armored trucks.
http://www.defense-update.com/products/c/cougar.htm
There was a news report on this vehicle on ABC News on March 15th 2007. I'm glad these vehicles are getting the mainstream media's attention.
Now lets talk about the Buffalo.
The Buffalo heavily armored EOD vehicle follows the South African monocoque capsule protection concept with US manufactured automotive platform, offering protection from IEDs and up to 45 pound landmine explosion under any wheel and 30 pound mine explosion under the centerline protection. An upgrade package offers protection from Self Forged Fragmentation (SFF) mines. The vehicle is used with US forces in Iraq for route clearing and counter IED activities. Since their deployment to Iraq in 2003 the Cougar and Buffalo vehicles employed with explosive ordnance disposal teams and engineers units have taken about 1,000 IED hits without a loss of life, said Wayne Phillips, a company vice president in charge of Marine Corps programs.The Buffalo uses steel wheels and disc rollers which allow the vehicle to be driven over and detonate anti-personnel mines without sustaining damage. As a result, unusually large numbers of mines can be neutralized in a short period of time. The vehicle retains all round (including roof) ballistic protection from 7.62mm NATO ball cartridges. This armor is upgradeable to protect against Dragunov AP cartridges. In a recent incident that involved a Buffalo vehicle which ran over an anti-tank mine, the blast tore off a wheel and destroyed an axle on the vehicle. There were no casualties to the crew inside the Buffalo and the vehicle maintained its mobility and drove itself out of the minefield. It was repaired overnight and was back in operation the following day.
Differing from other EOD vehicles, The heavily protected Buffalo is a central element in the US Army's counter-IED 'hunter-killer' concept. that protects convoys against the threat of mines and IEDs. enables engineers to inspect suspected objects from safe distance, using the robotic arm and video cameras, operated from the relative safety of the protected cabin. large windows of armored glass provide good visibility to the sides of the vehicle, to enable effective operation on route patrols and dealing with suspected IEDs.
http://www.defense-update.com/products/b/buffalo.htm
The Buffalo vehicle is cool because it offers great protection with IED searching capabilites. It can also serve in clearing mine fields with its long mechanical arm being able to detonate explosives. Right now Force Protection is working on new variant called the Cheetah its smaller and is more suited to urban operations in terms of actually being able to fight back. It can be equiped with remote weapon systems, most likely grenade launchers and 50 caliber machine guns. Labock Technologies is also developing a smaller variant called the Rhino Raptor. It looks like an up armored Humvee, but I'm sure it offers much more protection.
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