Military base close to the front

By ⋅ July 28, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment
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(Photo: Ben Gilbert)

The Geo Quiz takes us close to the front lines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan face incredible challenges. There’s the military aspect of their job – battling insurgents, protecting civilians, dealing with the grim realities of war.

Then there’s the logistics. The troops require a lot of support to get the job done. That means setting up facilities very close to the front lines.

For today’s quiz, we want you to give us one of the names used by the military to describe a base very close to the front lines.

Geo Answer:

The term we were looking for is “Forward Operating Base” or FOB. The US has many FOBs in Iraq and Afghanistan. The large ones have many tents and other structures where personnel live and work. And all of them need to be heated in the winter, and cooled in the summer. That can take a lot of fuel.

Steve Anderson is a retired Brigadier General who was General David Petraeus’s chief logistician in Iraq. He says the Pentagon should find ways to make structures at FOBs and other military compounds more energy efficient, not only to save money and be greener, but also, to save lives.

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Discussion

4 comments for “Military base close to the front”

  • Matt

    Did I hear that correctly?

    The U.S. Spends $20 Billion Per Year for Air Conditioning in Tents?

    $20 Billion annually?

    • John

      So apparently we spend more annually on air conditioning in Iraq than on NASA’s budget? I think its time to double NASA’s budget. Problem solved.

  • dennis

    Propably there are a lot (privte) people taking personal benefits from … 20Bn isnt just the energy bill to run these machines … but including service, import, etc …

    I should have thought twice before deciding “never” to work for the us military^^

    the iraq and afghan wars – like all other wars – have always been some self-service-cash-pot …

    what you think is the reason why the major money spend there isnt accounted?

    Heard this before, here it is just a “little” but approved example:
    8,7Bn of 9Bn of a Reconstruction Fond havent been accounted properly:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10774002

    :-/

  • http://westroofingsystems.com Dick West

    My company insulated thousands of tents and other structures on 14 FOB’s (6.0 million sq ft) for the DOD in Iraq in 2008-09. General Anderson has stated our efforts resulted in saving >$2.0 million daily in energy. Insulating tents not only saved energy but also dramitically improved the living conditions for our soldiers. 135 F daytime temperstures and 95 F nightime (with the AC running) does not allow for good rest. After insulating, the tents were very cool and AC unit requirements were cut
    in half. Payback on the project through energy savings was estimated to be approx 75 days.