Experimental Forward Operating Base

What Is It?

The Experimental Forward Operating Base (ExFOB) is a collaborative endeavor between the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Expeditionary Energy Office, Marine Corps Systems Command, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory and the Office of Naval Research. ExFOB consists of a series of product and technology demonstrations conducted in a representative operational environment, intended to reduce the requirement to transport fuel and water over long distances in support of USMC operations.

How Does It Work?

The first round of demonstrations in March 2010 consisted of products ready for near-term fielding. The second round of demonstrations scheduled for August 2010 will include technologies that may need further development prior to operational evaluation.

What Will It Accomplish?

ExFOB has identified product solutions for small scale water purification, photovoltaic energy harvesting and energy efficient lighting, which will address technology solutions toward efficient utilization of field generators, energy efficient heating and cooling of shelters and approaches for efficient cooling of locally purified bulk water.

The remote locations of USMC forward operating bases (FOBs) create significant challenges for the logistics support of combat operations. These FOBs are currently heavily dependent on long-distance deliveries of significant quantities of bulk fuel and water.

Convoy routes through unsecured areas are frequently hazardous and transport is always expensive. The delivered cost of fuel and water can easily total between ten to a hundred times its original purchase price. The Marine Corps is in the process of initiating dramatic steps toward rapidly improving the energy efficiency of forward operating bases. In March 2010, the USMC established a temporary ExFOB at the Marine Corps Base Quantico to provide industry with the opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of existing products to reduce fuel and water transport requirements.

This initial product demonstration venue addressed technologies, including small unit water purification, shelter insulation, photovoltaic energy harvesting and energy efficient lighting. A second demonstration venue scheduled for August 2010 at the Marine Corps Base 29 Palms focused on three categories of interest: 

  1. Energy-efficient heating and cooling
  2. Energy efficient utilization of currently fielded electric power generators, and
  3. Energy efficient approaches for cooling bulk water purified on-site prior to human consumption.

For the second series of demonstrations the range of technical maturity is expanded to also address potential solutions that may require additional technology development prior to any subsequent operational experimentation.

Research Challenges and Opportunities:

  • Efficient utilization of field generators
  • Energy-efficient heating, cooling and insulation of mobile shelters
  • Energy efficient small unit water purification
  • Packaging and cooling of locally purified water
  • Renewable energy harvesting

Point of Contact:

Clifford Anderson
(703) 696-4485
cliff.anderson@navy.mil

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