A couple of weeks ago NPR ran a piece entitled “Among the costs of war: billions a year in A.C.?” While I thoroughly enjoyed the piece one thing that I would have liked to have gotten but didn’t was how much of the justification for the use of air conditioning was related to the troops’ combat effectiveness and general quality of life and how much was to keep electronic equipment from crashing. The difficulties of petrol delivery are discussed (every invading army discovers the realities of geography anew, apparently) as are the promises and prospects of including solar energy in the mix.

As to the possibilities of working in “local minor repairs and craftsmanship in general,” can someone on the forum speak to how such would or would not work for American forces in the context of FAR?