You Could Be a Winner Too
October 10th, 2011 | Flightlines | Posted by Markeshia Ricks
Have you been sitting on an idea that you think will save the Air Force energy and money, but been too nervous to speak up? Well, Air Mobility Command is hoping some cold, hard cash might get you to loosen your lips.
AMC is offering financial incentives for energy-saving ideas during its second annual Fuels, Energy, and Environment (FEE) Idea campaign. The month of October is energy awareness month and the command is pretty hot to find savings anywhere it can.
October also is the first month of a new fiscal year where the Defense Department’s money is looking funny and nobody is laughing. But you could be laughing all the way to the bank.
AMC military members and civilians who submit eligible fuel, energy or environmental conservation ideas to the Air Force Innovative Development through the Employee Awareness (IDEA) Program that actually save the Air Force money could receive up to $10,000, according to AMC Public Affairs.
The command is looking for ideas and initiatives that include, but are not limited to aviation and ground fuel efficiencies, facility energy conservation, renewable energy sources, water conservation measures and cultural change. But you better make your submission good. It’s limited to one incentive item per person.
To submit an idea, contact the base manpower office at the force support squadron or visit https://ipds.randolph.af.mil. For those submitting ideas directly on the IDEA website to qualify for the incentive gift, submissions must clearly identify “AMC2011FEECAMPAIGN” in the tracking/control number and pertain to fuels, energy or environmental conservation measures. For more information about AMC’s energy initiatives, visit the website www.amc.af.mil/energy.
Tags: air mobility command, energy, IDEA
The high price of a good time
June 30th, 2011 | Flightlines | Posted by Scott Fontaine
Next time you’re sitting at the DFAC in Balad, sipping a Rip It, scarfing a cheeseburger served by a Sri Lankan, relaxing in the air conditioning and avoiding walking into the blast furnace that is the Iraqi climate, just keep this in mind: You’re the reason there are no more Space Shuttle flights.
Well, maybe.
The former chief logistician in Iraq told National Public Radio that the military spends more than $20 billion annually on air conditioning for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. That cost, the network notes, is larger than NASA’s budget.
Of course, cool air alone doesn’t really cost $20 billion. From the story:
“When you consider the cost to deliver the fuel to some of the most isolated places in the world — escorting, command and control, medevac support — when you throw all that infrastructure in, we’re talking over $20 billion,” Steven Anderson tells weekends on All Things Considered guest host Rachel Martin. He’s a retired brigadier general who served as chief logistician for Gen. David Petraeus in Iraq. He’s now in the private sector, selling technologies branded as energy-efficient to the Defense Department.
Now it’s important to note that wrapped up in Anderson’s $20 billion figure are all kind of other expenditures – for instance, the cost of building and maintaining roads in Afghanistan, securing those roads, managing the security operations for those roads. That all costs a lot of money and is part of the overall war effort in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon shot down those calculations. But the overall point of the story — that it makes sense for the military to go greener — is pretty dang interesting.
Tags: afghanistan, energy, iraq