New containerized sustainment systems support field Soldiers

Translog: Journal of Military Transportation Management, Summer, 2004 by Patti Bielling

The Army has always promised Soldiers "three hots and a cot," but deployed service members soon will be eating and sleeping even better thanks to concepts under development by the Army's product manager for force sustainment systems of Natick, Mass.

Product manager Lt. Col. Lawrence Silas demonstrated some of these new technologies May 20 to visitors at the Force Projection Symposium in Norfolk and Fort Story, Va.

Among the products on display were elements of the new Force Provider base camp.

There are currently 36 Force Provider camps in use throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in Southwest Asia, and another 12 are in production, said Silas.

Developers started with standard intermodal shipping containers and extendable modular tents and added latrines, showers, laundry and an electric kitchen facility to create the camps.

Each camp can support up to 550 service members.

Soldiers deployed to Southwest Asia have nothing but praise for the improved quality of life the facilities offer, he said.

"One commander stated that he drives his Soldiers 45 minutes farther to get to a Force Provider base camp," said Silas.

"He said that the chance to get some quality sleep at night in an air-conditioned environment is not just good for morale but also provides the Soldiers much needed rest so they can perform their missions more safely and effectively."

Improved generators, heating and air-conditioning units, and hygiene capabilities help ensure that members of all services can enjoy creature comforts in an austere environment, he said.

Better sanitary living conditions also mean less chance for disease and infection, which means better operational readiness for the unit, he added.

One Soldier who experienced base camp living was Spc. Stephan Prevot, of Fort Story's 396th Transportation Harbormaster Operations Detachment.

He used the facilities while deployed to Kuwait in early 2003.

"It's very important for morale," said the radio transmission operator. "Regardless of where you are, having a hot meal, taking a shower with some sense of privacy and using bathrooms that are clean goes a long way toward making you feel at home."

All of the new facilities use standard-size containers to ensure modularity. All the components can be stacked and moved with traditional cargo-handling equipment.

Displayed near the Force Provider camp was a rigid wall shelter capability.

Enclosed in a standard inter-modal-shipping container, the Rigid Hard Wall Shelter System concept opens to five times its size. It offers multiple sleeping and bathroom options and can accommodate up to 30 service members.

Another system, the Expeditionary Hygiene System, provides latrine, shower and laundry services for up to 150 service members.

This container opens hydraulically, much like a pop-up travel trailer, so set-up is quick and takes just a few Soldiers.

The joint, modular and expeditionary mindset also extends to religion.

The Containerized Chapel, affectionately called "God in a box;' helps promote spiritual well-being for Soldiers deployed far from home, said Lt. Col. Robert Bean, assistant product manager for Force Provider.

The portable chapel contains two large extendable modular tents, a music keyboard with sound system, altars, chairs and hymnals to support the four major faiths practiced by members of the U.S. military--Protestant, Catholic, Judaism and Islam.

"The Containerized Chapel also includes items found in most houses of worship, like a microwave oven, coffee pots and other items to make it more like home," Bean said. "Chaplains can serve coffee and refreshments at a social hour after services or during Bible study or a religious fellowship gathering."

Helping chaplains minister to Soldiers in forward locations is a smaller Chaplain's Logistics Support Package. This highly mobile container is the size of a field desk and fits in a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle.

The latest innovations in field feeding include development of a HMMWV portable heater for rations that allow cooks to heat food while on the move.

A user demonstration was conducted in April during a 3rd Infantry Division rotation to the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif.

The Army unit is now requesting immediate use of the new "Assault Kitchen," said Tim Benson, assistant product manager for field feeding and field services.

Patterned after a Marine Corps system, the Assault Kitchen will allow cooks to serve up hot meals within 10 minutes after the unit comes to a halt, Benson said.

"There's a big psychological benefit to having chow served by a cook at a containerized kitchen or dining facility versus eating from a bag," he said.

All of these systems make use of commercial technologies, said Benson.

"We're all trying to do things better, cheaper and smarter."

Patti Bielling, Public Affairs Specialist SDDC Operations Center