Interesting situation in Iraq and the global war on terror

www.csmonitor.com...

Memo to 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."

The memo may be the first time a frontline commander has called for renewable-energy backup in battle. Indeed, it underscores the urgency: Without renewable power, US forces "will remain unnecessarily exposed" and will "continue to accrue preventable ... serious and grave casualties," the memo says.

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.

"By reducing the need for [petroleum] at our outlying bases, we can decrease the frequency of logistics convoys on the road, thereby reducing the danger to our marines, soldiers, and sailors," reads the unclassified memo posted on the website InsideDefense.com, a defense industry publication that first reported its existence last month.

Here is my take on it.
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.