New York:
As NATO fuel supply convoys come under regular attack in Pakistan, the US military is trying to cut back its dependence on fossil fuels and tap into renewable energy, a news report has said.
The latest attack came yesterday when Afghanistan bound oil tankers were set on fire in Pakistan's Rawalpindi city.
"After a decade of waging wars in remote corners of the globe where fuel is not readily available, senior commanders have come to see over dependence on fossil fuel as a big liability, and renewable technologies as providing a potential answer," The New York Times reported.
"These new types of renewable energy now account for only a small percentage of the power used by the armed forces, but military leaders plan to rapidly expand their use over the next decade," the paper said.
Portable solar panels, energy-conserving lights; solar tent shields that provide shade and electricity, and solar chargers for computers and communications equipment arrived in Afghanistan, last week, according to the paper.
The Times further pointed out that the 150 Marines of Company I, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, "will be the first to take renewable technology into a battle zone".
The soldiers will use the new equipment instead of the diesel and kerosene-based fuels that run their camps.
"There are a lot of profound reasons for doing this, but for us at the core it's practical," said Ray Mabus, the Navy Secretary, highlighting the need for 50 per cent of the power for the Navy and Marines to come from renewable energy sources by 2020.
"Fossil fuel is the No 1 thing we import to Afghanistan," he continued "and guarding that fuel is keeping the troops from doing what they were sent there to do, to fight or engage local people".
New York Times explained that fuel destined for US troops in Afghanistan first reaches the Karachi ports from where it is loaded on convoys of 50 to 70 vehicles for transport to central bases and then smaller convoys branch out to the forward lines.
"We had a couple of tenuous supply lines across Pakistan that are costing us a heck of a lot, and they're very dangerous," said General James T Conway, the commandant of the Marine Corps.
The latest attack came yesterday when Afghanistan bound oil tankers were set on fire in Pakistan's Rawalpindi city.
"After a decade of waging wars in remote corners of the globe where fuel is not readily available, senior commanders have come to see over dependence on fossil fuel as a big liability, and renewable technologies as providing a potential answer," The New York Times reported.
"These new types of renewable energy now account for only a small percentage of the power used by the armed forces, but military leaders plan to rapidly expand their use over the next decade," the paper said.
Portable solar panels, energy-conserving lights; solar tent shields that provide shade and electricity, and solar chargers for computers and communications equipment arrived in Afghanistan, last week, according to the paper.
The Times further pointed out that the 150 Marines of Company I, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, "will be the first to take renewable technology into a battle zone".
The soldiers will use the new equipment instead of the diesel and kerosene-based fuels that run their camps.
"There are a lot of profound reasons for doing this, but for us at the core it's practical," said Ray Mabus, the Navy Secretary, highlighting the need for 50 per cent of the power for the Navy and Marines to come from renewable energy sources by 2020.
"Fossil fuel is the No 1 thing we import to Afghanistan," he continued "and guarding that fuel is keeping the troops from doing what they were sent there to do, to fight or engage local people".
New York Times explained that fuel destined for US troops in Afghanistan first reaches the Karachi ports from where it is loaded on convoys of 50 to 70 vehicles for transport to central bases and then smaller convoys branch out to the forward lines.
"We had a couple of tenuous supply lines across Pakistan that are costing us a heck of a lot, and they're very dangerous," said General James T Conway, the commandant of the Marine Corps.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
