How to Spot our troops in the field
Back in the old days trackers would follow an enemy body of troops by looking for tracks from shoed horses (most farm horses arent) cast off gear, abandoned field latrines, etc.
Today they would follow our batteries
In a statement by the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
“Today’s warfighters require more energy than at any time in the past and that requirement is not likely to decline.
During World War II, supporting one soldier on the battlefield took one gallon of fuel per day. Today, we use over 22 gallons per day, per soldier. We’re also more expeditionary than ever. These energy needs require a vast yet vulnerable supply chain that our enemies target.
But to enhance our energy security, we must look beyond vulnerabilities and instead, focus on and view energy as an opportunity.
And the opportunity is vast. Energy spans every activity and corner of the department.
In the air, jet fuel equates to on-station and loiter time. At sea, marine fuel consumption rates impact operating and transit speeds. On the ground, energy requirements often drive how long soldiers can stay out on patrol and how many resupply convoys we have to put at risk on the road to support them.
I’ll give you one example of that. For a 72-hour mission, today’s infantry platoon carries 400 pounds of batteries to power their equipment – night vision devices, communication gear, global positioning systems and flash lights … 400 pounds of batteries per platoon – that’s per 30 men – for a 72-hour mission.
As some have observed only jokingly, if you want to find a US Army patrol in Afghanistan, simply follow the trail of batteries and you will eventually come upon them.”
Read more here: http://www.jcs.mil/speech.aspx?id=1656