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Policies Controlling Food, Water, and Fuel Consumption Are Key to Maintaining Quality of Life Under Logistical Constraints

• Fresh food is one important part of soldier quality of life (QoL). The fresher the food, the greater its weight. A B-ration (meals prepared using canned or preserved ingredients) diet would require a 44-percent convoy premium over meals, ready to eat (MREs). An A-ration (meals prepared using fresh, refrigerated, or frozen foods) diet would require a 58-percent convoy premium over MREs.
• Showers and laundry are other important factors in soldier QoL. An estimated 75 percent of the water required at contingency bases is utilized for showers. Using just one shower water–reuse system at its full capacity can result in saving potentially 3.2 million gallons of water per year. The Army is investigating other opportunities, including gray-water recovery from laundry and food preparation and similar sources.
• Privacy and climate control are also important for QoL. Base-camp energy is an area rich in potential savings, both in terms of electricity and in terms of fuel. One potentially very effective fuel-saving option is the selection of soldier housing and work location structures. If 90 percent of the fuel consumed goes to living, dining, and office space provided in barrack (wooden) huts (B-huts), a switch to huts made from structural insulated panels (which demand just 60 percent as much energy as B-huts) would reduce energy demand by an estimated 42,000 gallons per month.