WEBVTT

00:06.240 --> 00:10.180
many Marine corps

00:10.180 --> 00:12.990
bases in Helmand province run on fossil

00:12.990 --> 00:16.680
fuel , a lot of it in august the core

00:16.680 --> 00:19.940
used more than 219,000 gallons in the

00:19.940 --> 00:21.996
province . The the amount of fuel we

00:21.996 --> 00:24.051
use at the forward edge of the , you

00:24.051 --> 00:26.384
know , the tip of the spear if you will .

00:26.384 --> 00:29.220
Uh it's a great deal and it causes it

00:29.220 --> 00:31.276
requires a lot of logistic support .

00:31.276 --> 00:33.442
But here at patrol base Boldak marines

00:33.442 --> 00:35.664
are taking advantage of a resource that

00:35.664 --> 00:37.831
is abundant in the afghan desert . The

00:37.831 --> 00:39.776
sun , what we have here is a green

00:39.776 --> 00:41.887
system . You can see the solar panels

00:41.887 --> 00:43.998
up here on top of the Tesco barrier .

00:43.998 --> 00:46.164
PB Boldak is home to the latest in the

00:46.164 --> 00:48.053
course , pursuit of efficient and

00:48.053 --> 00:50.220
alternative energy carried out through

00:50.220 --> 00:52.220
a process known as the experimental

00:52.220 --> 00:54.620
forward operating base or X Fab . And

00:54.620 --> 00:57.570
it's essentially our way of seeing what

00:57.570 --> 00:59.237
commercial off the shelf type

00:59.237 --> 01:01.126
technologies that focus on energy

01:01.126 --> 01:03.181
efficiency and alternative power can

01:03.181 --> 01:05.237
make a difference for us here on the

01:05.237 --> 01:07.348
battlefield and throughout the marine

01:07.348 --> 01:09.570
course mission . The technologies at PB

01:09.570 --> 01:11.126
Boldak are in line with the

01:11.126 --> 01:13.348
expeditionary energy strategy Signed in

01:13.348 --> 01:15.626
March by Commandant General James Amos .

01:15.626 --> 01:18.100
The strategy directs that by 2025 , the

01:18.100 --> 01:21.070
Marine Corps will use 50% less fuel

01:21.080 --> 01:23.302
than it does on the battlefield today .

01:23.302 --> 01:25.413
Now to do that , we have to do demand

01:25.413 --> 01:27.247
reduction . We have to train our

01:27.247 --> 01:29.890
marines and in valuing energy and fuel

01:29.890 --> 01:33.190
properly as an asset and then we also

01:33.190 --> 01:35.480
have to provide them with capabilities

01:35.940 --> 01:39.130
that that are much more efficient to

01:39.130 --> 01:41.352
validate alternative energy items . The

01:41.352 --> 01:43.590
Marine Corps uses a two step process

01:44.230 --> 01:46.590
Items . first get tested in California

01:46.600 --> 01:49.550
at 29 palms with a good review . Their

01:49.550 --> 01:51.772
the technologies are then fielded by an

01:51.772 --> 01:54.080
infantry unit in Afghanistan for the X

01:54.080 --> 01:56.460
fob evaluation during their deployment

01:56.460 --> 01:58.460
last year . Third Battalion , fifth

01:58.460 --> 01:59.960
Marines did more than wage

01:59.960 --> 02:02.127
counterinsurgency operations in Sangin

02:02.127 --> 02:04.620
District . They also tested three of

02:04.620 --> 02:06.590
the cores newest energy items ,

02:06.680 --> 02:10.230
efficient LED lights , tent

02:10.230 --> 02:12.540
insulation liners and solar energy

02:12.540 --> 02:14.850
panels and pads . Each helped lessen

02:14.850 --> 02:17.100
the battalion's dependence on fuel and

02:17.100 --> 02:19.267
provided important tactical benefits .

02:19.267 --> 02:21.433
Traditionally they can go out and they

02:21.433 --> 02:23.544
can only carry Up to about three days

02:23.544 --> 02:25.489
worth of batteries . So after that

02:25.489 --> 02:28.040
three days they have to get resupplied

02:28.040 --> 02:30.151
with batteries and often they have to

02:30.151 --> 02:32.151
change their are all to alter their

02:32.151 --> 02:34.151
mission so that they can get into a

02:34.151 --> 02:36.262
location to be resupplied . So one of

02:36.262 --> 02:38.530
the capabilities that we've pursued and

02:38.530 --> 02:40.752
that we're fielding right now , it is a

02:40.752 --> 02:43.460
spaces system which is flexible solar

02:43.460 --> 02:45.670
blankets that have a controller that

02:45.670 --> 02:48.190
can actually recharge your batteries

02:48.200 --> 02:52.000
and run your radios And it all fits in

02:52.000 --> 02:53.960
your backpack . After being marine

02:53.960 --> 02:57.070
approved by 35 . These items are now

02:57.070 --> 02:59.140
issued to all deploying battalions .

02:59.540 --> 03:01.596
Here we are beneath the solar panels

03:01.596 --> 03:04.070
themselves with the energy controls and

03:04.070 --> 03:06.348
energy storage capability of the group .

03:06.348 --> 03:08.560
But the ex fob process continues this

03:08.560 --> 03:10.449
year at PB Boldak . The system is

03:10.449 --> 03:12.282
called the URL con it's a hybrid

03:12.282 --> 03:14.504
generator and it's our first attempt at

03:14.504 --> 03:17.600
the efficient power generation and

03:17.600 --> 03:20.080
distribution of energy for command

03:20.080 --> 03:22.247
operations center . The Oerlikon works

03:22.247 --> 03:24.358
like a giant electric car engine . It

03:24.358 --> 03:26.469
can power an operation center using a

03:26.469 --> 03:29.290
diesel power generator or energy

03:29.290 --> 03:31.500
harvested by solar panels . So what we

03:31.500 --> 03:33.770
have here is the solar power portion of

03:33.770 --> 03:36.060
this system . So any time that the

03:36.060 --> 03:38.240
sun's out , we are harvesting solar

03:38.240 --> 03:40.462
energy and we're actually doing that in

03:40.462 --> 03:43.090
the same batteries uh , in inside the

03:43.090 --> 03:45.380
system . But even when the URL khan has

03:45.380 --> 03:47.630
to run on diesel fuel , it's a far more

03:47.630 --> 03:49.686
efficient platform than the existing

03:49.686 --> 03:52.170
generator only solution . So what we

03:52.170 --> 03:55.460
have here is energy storage in the form

03:55.460 --> 03:57.810
of lead acid batteries . So what it

03:57.810 --> 03:59.588
allows us whenever we have that

03:59.588 --> 04:01.970
generator on whatever is not going to

04:01.970 --> 04:04.137
power the load , the communications or

04:04.137 --> 04:06.200
the other lights . It's actually the

04:06.200 --> 04:08.033
excess energy is coming from the

04:08.033 --> 04:10.144
generator and getting stored in these

04:10.144 --> 04:12.210
batteries . While the Oerlikon keeps

04:12.210 --> 04:14.560
power from being wasted , the direct

04:14.570 --> 04:16.792
current air conditioner helps lower the

04:16.792 --> 04:18.959
demand for energy in the first place .

04:18.959 --> 04:21.230
So this is your typical marine crazy .

04:21.530 --> 04:24.480
This is a boo 14 , it's what's

04:24.480 --> 04:27.890
typically used to cool off the

04:27.900 --> 04:31.090
building and other areas . The problem

04:31.090 --> 04:34.110
with this system is fairly inefficient

04:34.110 --> 04:36.166
and it just cools continuously . But

04:36.166 --> 04:39.360
this is the new D C A C ,

04:40.240 --> 04:42.573
which is direct current air conditioner .

04:42.740 --> 04:46.570
It's a lot more efficient . It it's

04:46.570 --> 04:49.150
got its own internal thermostat so that

04:49.350 --> 04:51.572
when it reaches a certain temperature ,

04:51.572 --> 04:53.710
it shuts off the idea behind all of

04:53.710 --> 04:55.710
these programs is to help an energy

04:55.710 --> 04:58.120
dependent force be more self sustaining .

04:58.130 --> 05:00.130
We talked about getting back to the

05:00.130 --> 05:02.352
roots of of expeditionary , which means

05:02.352 --> 05:05.710
fast , lethal and austere , and also

05:05.710 --> 05:07.690
all the capabilities that we're

05:07.690 --> 05:10.480
pursuing are in that mindset . It is to

05:10.480 --> 05:12.591
enhance the mission capability of the

05:12.591 --> 05:14.813
Marine Corps , not just for a reduction

05:14.813 --> 05:17.440
of fuel or reduction of costs . But is

05:17.440 --> 05:20.520
it can we make the Marine Corps better

05:20.530 --> 05:22.970
fighting force for its true mission and

05:22.970 --> 05:25.920
its mission out here in Afghanistan by

05:25.920 --> 05:27.360
pursuing these capabilities ?