Sometimes forward operating bases for the U.S. military must be assembled in a matter of weeks. So how can those critical facilities be supplied with enough power? questions Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
How about portable nuclear power stations?
That, according to the Army Times, is being considered, even though some scientists dismiss the idea as "naïve."
The Pentagon's Strategic Capabilities Office has launched a request for information on the availability of a mobile nuclear reactor of less than 40 tons that could provide up to 10 megawatts of power for up to three years.
It's called "Project Dilithium," for the "dilithium crystal" that powered warp drives in the "Star Trek" series, the report said.
The objective is to save lives and money through cutting down on the transportation complexities of providing power to modern combat operations.
Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists told the Army Times the concerns are legitimate. But he contended that adding reactors to a battlefield scenario likely would create more problems than it would solve.
His recommendation:Â "Pull the plug."
The Times reported the idea isn't new. The Army Nuclear Power Program, which ran from 1954 to 1977, involved eight small nuclear reactors. One operated in Sundance, Wyoming, for several years, another in Greenland, a third in Antarctica and others in the Panama Canal Zone.
For the rest of this report, and more, please go to Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.