Military campaigns contested in an austere environment produce power challenges that soldiers must overcome in a matter of moments. Soldiers are left to fend for themselves in an uncivilized environment, and the five challenges listed here will change a soldier’s approach to finding a power supply.
#1: Storage
Power storage is difficult for soldiers in an austere environment when little technology is available. Military personnel may find batteries or other power storage devices in the field, but these storage elements are difficult to protect on the move. Energy that is produced in the field cannot be funneled to a storage space, and soldiers must use their energy immediately.
#2: Power Distribution
The power that soldiers create in the field cannot move far from the source. A soldier may find a way to charge a battery in the field, but the power cannot be handed down to other soldiers who need similar assistance. Every soldier must create their own power in the field, and soldiers in the vicinity cannot count on a temporary power source unless they created it themselves.
#3: The Difficulty Of Generating Power
Generating power in the field is difficult for soldiers who have limited supplies. Starting fires and using spare batteries will help create energy that could be useful, but soldiers run into situations where energy cannot be created at all. Soldiers must know what to let go in the field, and certain items will become useless without power. A soldier is trained to live off the land and use natural resources in the field, and power creation is often too difficult.
#4: Searching For New Power Sources
Soldiers in the field must search for new power sources as they move, but the search may not be successful in all cases. Soldiers must give up the search for power in austere environments when it is apparent no power sources are available. A soldier must rely on power sources that seem to be more reliable, or a soldier must give up the idea of finding a power source that will be useful.
New power sources may be found in the field at any time, but soldiers cannot hope to find a particular source of power in their travels. A certain power supply may be ideal for a soldier, but soldiers should look to other power sources as they move. Scavenging is difficult, and there are battlefields where no power source can be found.
#5: Weight
Energy is invisible, but the storage units for energy are very heavy. Soldiers who must carry batteries or power units in the field will be weighed down as they carry their gear. A military unit must cut down on the weight of its gear, and better power supplies carry less weight.
Every one of the five problems listed in this article explain why power production in the field is difficult. Military units must understand how to find, create and store power quickly. Power sources are needed in remote theaters, and military units must look for the simplest power sources possible. For more information visit Abbott Technologies.
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