It can get pretty hot in Afghanistan and Iraq during the summer months. 120 degrees Fahrenheit hot. And for the nearly 200,000 US troops stationed in the Middle East, staying hydrated is a real challenge, but what can be even more grueling is finding clean water.
That’s why GLOBAL Integrated Security, a defense and national security organization, has developed the Tactical Water Purification System (TWPS) for the US Army’s TACOM Life Cycle Command program, which helps sustain the troops stationed in environmentally challening locations.
The TWPS maintains “state-of-the art micro-filtration technology to filter out silt and biological materials and includes advanced high-salt rejection and reverse osmosis technology to produce drinking water from the most extreme water sources in the world.” TWPS provides troops “over 1500 gallons of potable water per hour from freshwater sources and over 1200 gallons from sea or saltwater sources.” Depending on the environment, the TWPS unit can sustain between 1,000-1,5000 troops per day. TWPS trucks have also proven useful in disaster relief as providing clean water to survivors is a crucial and immediate need.
Providing clean water for troops is one of the most basic requirements for any military. Since World War I the military has learned how contaminated drinking water can affect the health of soldiers in the field. Clean water not only benefits those who drink it, but for those who bathe, cook, and wash laundry. Today, certain locations are hindered by local water being contaminated by raw sewage or disease. Not to mention water bottles have become tools for destruction as certain insurgents have used plastic water bottle to rig IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and attack convoy trucks.
The Tactical Water Purification System is a huge step toward keeping soldiers self-sufficient and mobile. With consistent access to clean and purified water, soldiers are no longer bound to one location simply for the sake of hydration or rely on outside support. And with the TWPS’ reverse osmosis system and purification techniques, this unit has many advantages over traditional water bottles which can be a costly expense.
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