subject: American Military Units Using More Portable Air Conditioning [print this page] Cooling Tents and Other Brief Shelters : Army troops frequently have to work and live in temporary shelters, yet these shelters have to be cushty. Extremes of temperature have direct health connotations. In a few cases heat stroke and heat exhaustion cause more casualties than enemy fire. Heat has indirect safety and health effects too interfering with sleep or causing stress that erodes a soldier's capability to perform in combat. However the temporary nature of army shelters makes it hard to control climate.
Transportable air con can turn the stagnant air inside a tent or other shelter into a snug environment. They not only cool but also provide airflow and dehumidification, making them valuable in a good range of environment settings. These spot coolers are as straightforward to move as the structures they cool, permitting a division to carry cooling capacity with them anywhere in the world.
Hardware Trailers : Today's infantryman wishes on more than a uniform and a weapon to perform in the field. Modern army forces rely on massive electronic installations that provide intelligence and communication to the entire unit. Electronics are receptive to temperature changes so must be kept cool in any environment.
As technology has advanced, military electronics have become more widespread and gotten smaller. These smaller devices allow more equipment to be packed into a smaller space, making the installations harder for the enemy to detect, but this has compounded the cooling problem. Electronics put out huge amounts of heat and the more devices in a space, the greater the heat produced. Portable air conditioning units keep these equipment installations cool, allowing soldiers to depend on the information and organization modern electronic systems provide.
Acute Environments : Army forces need to be prepared to battle in any environment in the world. The biggest operations the North American army has been concerned in in the last few decades have been in sweltering jungles and burning deserts, exposing both infantrymen and hardware to temperature extremes they won't have been prepared for. These extremes have taken their toll and needed the development of new climate control technologies.
Movable air con has been an essential component of effective army operations. It permits a modern combat unit to manipulate the local environment to their advantage. There are less situations of heat-related sickness and less gear failure. Army units may be able to occupy and operate in environments that would've been most unlikely during the past. The spot coolers are cheap, rugged and simply portable.
While it may not be the most glamorous military technology, portable air conditioning has changed modern combat operations and given our armed forces a greater ability to complete their missions.
