Testimonials

GAO - United States Government Accountability Office
Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Readiness, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives

Excerpt from the Statement of William M. Solis, Director Defense Capabilities and Management
March 3, 2009

DEFENSE MANAGEMENT - Increased Attention on Fuel Demand Management at DOD’s Forward-Deployed Locations Could Reduce Operational Risks and Costs

Foam insulation for military tents. DOD is applying foam insulation on tents at some forward-deployed locations to reduce the amount of fuel required by generators to provide power to these structures. Demonstrations by DOD’s Power Surety Task Force showed that the application of foam insulation reduced dust, heat, cold, noise, and air conditioning requirements. According to task force officials, based on the results of a recent demonstration, DOD decided to pursue a large-scale effort to apply the foam insulation to temporary structures, such as military tents, in Iraq to reduce the number of generators needed to power the structures. According to a Central Command official, the tent-foaming initiative could reduce energy consumption by approximately 50 percent, potentially reducing the number of convoys needed to supply fuel to locations in Iraq, although metrics had not yet been established to systemically measure efficiency. A senior Army official told us that DOD also has plans to apply foam insulation to tents in Afghanistan.

Initiatives at individual locations. During our visits to forward-deployed locations in Kuwait and Djibouti, we found some local efforts by camp officials to reduce fuel demand. In Kuwait, for example, an official at Camp Arifjan shared plans to consolidate loads on small generators by creating groupings—networks—of multiple generators, which could improve overall efficiency and reduce the number of generators that operate at most times of the year. In Djibouti, officials at Camp Lemonier were able to remove two of the five air conditioning units used to cool the camp’s gymnasium after the application of foam insulation to the tent exterior of the facility, resulting in an estimated fuel savings of 40 percent and an indoor temperature reduction from 95-100 degrees to about 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Pentagon Prioritizes Pursuit Of Alternative Fuel Sources

Excerpt from the Washington Post, By Steve Vogel, Washington Post Staff Writer
April 13, 2009

For all the emphasis on new technologies at the Pentagon, one of the most successful initiatives involves decades-old technology: insulating thousands of tents in Iraq and Afghanistan with a two-inch layer of foam. The foam is sprayed like shaving cream from 55-gallon drums and hardens in about 20 minutes.

A $95 million program to spray-foam tents in Iraq has dramatically reduced the amount of fuel needed for heating and cooling, saving $2 million in energy costs per day, Anderson said. It is also reducing the Army's logistical footprint, which includes roughly 900 trucks per day moving in and out of Iraq, he said.

"We've already taken 12 trucks off a day," said Anderson, who previously served as deputy chief of staff for resources and sustainment for the multinational force in Iraq. "That may not seem like a lot, but it adds up pretty...quickly. Those are some of the most dangerous roads in the world. I'm confident it has saved lives."

A $29 million contract has been signed to insulate tents in Afghanistan, where vulnerable land supply routes pose serious challenges as the United States attempts to build up its forces.

"If we're going to be in Afghanistan for a while, it behooves us to foam as many structures as we can," Anderson said.

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Foam Cools Kalsu

Excerpt from www.TheRedBulls.org, By Sgt. Joe Roos
September 2, 2009

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq - The 172nd Infantry Brigade, Blackhawks, are putting a coat of foam all over structures at Forward Operating Base Kalsu to help keep Soldiers a little cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

"Contractors from Honeywell Corporation will spray 369,000 gallons of foam on our base structures, which reduces the need for air conditioning output by 40 to 50 percent," said Capt. Devin W. Pompa, 172nd Inf. Bde. construction officer.

"It not only helps with insulation, but decreases dust and wind from getting in and the light yellow color reflects heat rather than absorbing it," added Pompa, an Albuquerque, N.M. resident.

Each structure receives a two-inch polyurethane layer of foam sprayed directly on the surface, which creates a hard shelled insulation on the outside of the structure.

While the brigade has also directed the coating of wooden structures and tin buildings, the fabric tents receive the most benefit. The medical, transient and public computer tents have been coated to help make them more efficient and comfortable. The foam coating also the tents last longer under the extreme environments of the desert.

The spray foam reduces the amount of electricity needed to cool or heat structures, which is a definite reduction of fossil fuels needed to run electricity-producing generators.

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