The squad of American troops burst through the door, only to find that their terrorist targets had fled. There was a pile of shredded documents which was carefully gathered up and taken back to base.

Shredded paper collected on a Marine Corps base

Now, reconstructing shredded documents takes brute force, thousands of man hours, or lots and lots of computer processing with little chance of success. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is wondering if there is a better way. It created the DARPA Shredder Challenge, with a first prize of $50,000, to see if the general public can create an effective method of piecing back together shredded documents.

DARPA is the “what if” part of the Pentagon, funding a huge variety of research. They have funded such things as stealth technology, anthropomorphic mechanical arms and hypersonic vehicles. A big chunk of their funds go to “black” or secret research. Their site reads that DARPA is the place for “high-risk, high-payoff research, development and demonstration of new technologies and systems that serve the warfighter and the Nation’s defense.”

The challenge is massive. There are dozens of brands and hundreds of models of shredders. Some shred in strips while others cross cut. Each produces a shred piece that is different than the others.

Then, there is the document. How big is each piece of paper and are they printed on one side or both sides? What language is used or is the document a code?

Document reconstruction is a complex process involving engineering and computer software. DARPA has created five puzzles, each of increasing complexity. The document for each puzzle must be reassembled in order to see the puzzle and then the puzzle has to be answered. The deadline for solutions is December 4, with the winner being announced the following day.

One of the most inconvenient aspects of renewable energy solutions such as wind or solar power is that the energy is produced with no regard to the actual needs of the electrical grid being supplied the power. The grid, even in the United States, has times when it cannot accept the energy produced by solar panels or wind turbines. The excess supply over demand often results in the temporary shutdown of production.

Part of the problem of excess power is that electrical grids are not efficient distributors of power. The U.S. has one of the largest, in miles and capacity, electrical grids on the planet but even here excess electricity from California has little chance of filling a need for electricity in New York City. The grid, actually a series of partially interconnected grids, just doesn’t operate that way.

The Main Interconnections of the U.S. Electric Power Grid and the 10 North American Electric Reliability Council Regions. Click on the map for more information.

Poor interconnection is one reason excess electricity cannot be moved across country. Electricity is moved via high voltage lines. For a variety of reasons, primarily political, these lines have become increasingly difficult to construct.

US electrical power grid transmission lines

One solution that allows solar and wind sources to continue to produce electricity is to store the energy until it is needed. Storage also would allow these energy producers to provide electricity to the grid at night or when the wind is not blowing. The concept of storage and the reality of storage are far apart, however, as battery design and engineering continues to lag the rest of the technology.

One utility company in New Mexico has brought a project online that may provide a solution to the storage issue. The PNM Prosperity Energy Storage Project can generate 500 KW of electrical power using 2,158 solar panels. The excess electricity produced is stored in 1,280 lead-acid batteries and the process is controlled by high tech smart grid controls.

PNM is using the smart grid controls to supply electricity to its grid from storage when the solar array is producing at a decreased output, night or clouds overhead. When electrical demand is less, the solar power is diverted to storage by the smart grid controls.

Other electrical production methods have little ability to control output in increments. This project demonstrates that the right technology combined with a green energy source can provide a constant supply of electricity while responding to changes in demand.

Click on the image of the Keystone pipeline map for a larger view.

The Keystone Pipeline plan was developed in stages and much of the pipeline is now in operation, carrying oil to refineries in the American Mid-West. The remaining stages would build a new pipeline in a straighter course across the Great Plains and also connect the existing pipeline with new construction to the Gulf Coast.

The pipeline remains in limbo. The U.S. State Department is the first agency to have to approve or disapprove the project and it has yet to complete its work. The project faces significant opposition from environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and the National Wildlife Federation.

The existing pipeline is a mix of new construction and repurposed natural gas pipeline. It is 2,147 miles in length and runs from Hardisty, Alberta, to refineries in Wood River and Patoka, Illinois. It began operation in June 2010. A second leg of 291 miles, from Nebraska to the oil storage and pipeline hub of Cushing, Oklahoma, was opened in February 2011.

The Keystone XL portion of the pipeline is estimated to cost about $7 billion. The entire system is designed to transport 1.1 million barrels of crude oil per day from Canada to the United States. In a site published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the creation of up to 20,000 construction jobs and property tax revenues to state and local governments of $138.4 million are among the reasons given to approve the project.

Pipeline being lowered into a trench

Opposition is generally based on environmental grounds. The Friends of the Earth cite the pollution created by production from tar sands, the effects on global warming, the threat of pipeline spills and the pollution created by the refining process. The new pipeline will cross several large rivers, including the Missouri, and travel through some of the United States’ most productive agricultural acreage.

Reuters reported on November 2, 2011, that President Obama had told a Nebraska media outlet that he would make the final decision on approving the pipeline. The Washington Post, in an editorial dated October 10, supported the project while a New York Times editorial on August 21, 2011, opposed it. In march, 2011, the Congressional Research Service produced a report titled Keystone XL Pipeline Project: Key Issues, which covers many of the pro and con arguments in detail.

Diagram from the Global Energy Network Institute. Click for a larger image.

As the Tokyo Electric Company continues rolling blackouts and electric users try to reduce energy consumption, the question becomes: Why is Japan short of electricity?

The easy answer is that nearly 20% of the operating nuclear power plants in Japan are shut down, due to the earthquake and the tsunami. The more complex answer involves the convoluted history of electrical power in Japan and the Japanese electrical grid.

Perhaps alone among modern nations, Japan has a divided electrical grid. South of Tokyo, the grid operates on a 60 hz frequency. From Tokyo northward, the grid operates at a frequency of 50 hz.

In simple terms, the electricity in half the country cannot be used in the other half. Trying to do so would result in damage, electrical fires and other related mayhem. Tokyo is in the region that has all of the shut down reactors and is suffering the lack of generation capacity.

The Tokyo Electric Company introduced electricity to Japan in the late 1800′s. It bought its equipment from Germany. Other electric providers bought from the U.S., from General Electric, and that is why the separation developed. There are only four points where the electricity is converted from one frequency to the other, and their capacity is severely limited in comparison to the current need.

For more information on this topic:
The Japanese Electrical Grid: A Major Problem for Economic Recovery
A Country Divided: Japan’s Electric Bottleneck
The Japanese Situation
Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan

Southern Company teams up with EPRI to develop a Smart Grid project to demonstrate a broad array of technologies.

The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI) conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public. An independent, nonprofit organization, EPRI brings together its scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and industry to help address challenges in electricity, including reliability, efficiency, health, safety and the environment. EPRI also provides technology, policy and economic analyses to drive long-range research and development planning, and supports research in emerging technologies. EPRI’s members represent more than 90 percent of the electricity generated and delivered in the United States, and international participation extends to 40 countries. EPRI’s principal offices and laboratories are located in Palo Alto, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Lenox, Mass.

The Navy is still testing railguns, really really fast railguns.

High-speed camera image of the Office of Naval Research Electromagnetic Railgun located at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, firing a world-record setting 33 mega-joule shot, breaking the previous record established Jan. 31, 2008. The railgun is a long-range, high-energy gun launch system that uses electricity rather than gunpowder or rocket motors to launch projectiles capable of striking a target at a range of more than 200 nautical miles with Mach 7 velocity. A future tactical railgun will hit targets at ranges almost 20 times farther than conventional surface ship combat systems.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) achieved a milestone Dec. 10 when it successfully conducted a world-record 33-megajoule shot of the Electromagnetic Railgun aboard Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division.

“Today’s railgun test demonstrates the tactical relevance of this technology, which could one day complement traditional surface ship combat systems,” said Rear Adm. Nevin Carr, chief of naval research.

“The 33-megajoule shot means the Navy can fire projectiles at least 110 nautical miles, placing Sailors and Marines at a safe standoff distance and out of harm’s way, and the high velocities achievable are tactically relevant for air and missile defense,” he said. “This demonstration moves us one day closer to getting this advanced capability to sea.”

Besides the extended ranges, the railgun also improves safety for Sailors and Marines because it will eliminate the need for a high-energy explosive warhead and traditional gun propellants. Removing explosives and chemicals will reduce the munitions logistic chain.

A megajoule is a measurement of energy associated with a mass traveling at a certain velocity. In simple terms, a one-ton vehicle moving at 100 mph equals a megajoule of energy.

In 2008, ONR conducted a 10-megajoule shot for media and visitors at Dahlgren. Today’s demonstration showed researchers are steadily progressing toward developing a gun that could hit targets almost 20 times farther than conventional ship combat systems. A 33-megajoule shot, for example, could potentially reach extended ranges with Mach 5 velocity, five times the speed of sound.

The Department of the Navy’s Office of Naval Research provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps’ technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning, and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel.

U.S. Navy
By Geoff Fein, Office of Naval Research Public Affairs

The Turkish Dogan Bey power ship sits moored in the southern port of Umm Qasr. The ship provides enough power to run a small Iraqi city. Currently, it feeds into the main Iraqi power grid. Photo by Sgt. Francis Horton

The government of Iraq has been concentrating on providing basic necessities to its people while striving to maintain order and security.

Electricity has been an issue Iraqis are concerned about. In the southern city of Basra and throughout Iraq demonstrations have been held demanding more reliable power.

In response, steps are in place to help ease the power problems.

In the southern port of Umm Qasr, the hub of imports and exports for the country, a large ship sits moored to the docks. It is adorned with Turkish and Iraqi flags painted on the side, and large transformers cover the majority of the deck.

“It’s like an on-land power facility,” said Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Frank Bullock, a logistic coordinator with the Joint Interagency Task Force. Reciprocating generators on the deck of the ship use a refined fuel provided by the Iraqi Department of Energy. The electricity is run to the Iraqi power grid. This ship alone has the ability to power Umm Qasr with some left over, he said.

“So far, we have had no security incidents,” said the plant manager and ship captain, Mutlu Cevlik, a Turkish sailor from Istanbul. A five-year contract has been signed with the Iraqi Department of Energy for the ship to provide power, he said. A second ship has also been dispatched from Turkey.

Security cameras and local guards have been hired to help secure the ship, Cevlik said. Around 70 people from Umm Qasr keep the ship safe 24 hours a day. Onboard, Turkish workers keep the generators maintained and running.

Turkish workers run fuel hoses across the deck of the Dogan Bey power ship to keep the generators filled and pumping to capacity. Photo by Sgt. Francis Horton

“Sandstorms are the biggest problem,” Cevlik said. The generators operate as close to full capacity as possible, but during periods of high wind, sand and dirt get caught in the filters causing overheating and automatic shutdowns.

Cevlick is confident issues like these will be easy to get around. The next step is to hire a security officer to help bring the ship up to international safety standards.

“We want to make this environment better,” Cevlick said.

DVIDS
Story by Sgt. Francis Horton

Spc. Jennifer Cumbie, a Miami native and a multichannel transmission system operator with Company B, 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and Pvt. Maurice Bailey, a Los Angeles native and multichannel transmission system operator with Company B, inspect helium storage containers on Forward Operating Base Warrior, Kirkuk, Iraq, July 12. These Soldiers and other members of their team are responsible for keeping the blimp full of helium and in the air. Photo by Pfc. Justin Naylor

Pre-deployment training prepares Soldiers for a wide range of missions they may encounter. Flying a blimp is typically not one of them.

Or at least it wasn’t for Soldiers on Forward Operating Base Warrior, Kirkuk, Iraq, until a new surveillance blimp took its place in the skies above FOB Warrior.

The blimp began operating June 28, and is part of a growing number of these blimps currently being used across Iraq.

This equipment takes a special group of Soldiers operating day and night to keep it in the air and out of harm’s way.

“If the blimp starts losing helium, or if it needs to be patched, we take it down, find the hole and fix it,” said Spc. Jennifer Cumbie, a Miami native and a multi-channel transmission system operator with Co. B, 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Calvary Division.

The Soldiers are also on the lookout for bad weather and heavy winds, which can affect the stability of the blimp.

“In the communications world, Soldiers who operate their systems are in control of troubleshooting and can easily identify where a problem can, or has occurred,” said 2nd Lt. Valerie LoSchiavo, the officer in charge of the blimp team and a platoon leader with Company B, 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. “But this mission holds challenges and variables that are difficult to predict or determine.”

And the unpredictability of this weather has made the job of these Soldiers challenging.

“It has been a learning experience,” said Spc. Marshall Austin, a Wilkesborow, N.C., native and a shift leader with the blimp team.

“We all learned an entirely new system,” said LoSchiavo. “But the team has adapted to the task with ease. They have done an outstanding job,” said LoSchiavo.

“When they found out about it they were excited to do something new,” she said. “It gave us something to focus on and put our energy into.”

DVIDS
Story by Pfc. Justin Naylor

Chief Warrant Officer Russell Faulkner of St. Louis heats a piece of stainless steel in Baghdad, March 22. Faulkner plans on turning the piece of metal into a quality theater-made knife. Photo by Spc. Jeffrey Ledesma

As the smell of burnt metal clouds the stale air and bright-red ambers bounce across the floor, a Soldier with Special Operations Task Force – Central mentors other troops about the untold art of knife-making.

In his spare time, Chief Warrant Officer Russell Faulkner, the honorary blacksmith of his Special Forces unit, teaches a weekly class on the creation of knives to enthusiastic students.

“It’s very rewarding for me personally to watch someone do something they never thought they would ever be doing,” said Faulkner. “Some people have never even touched a hammer – literally.”

One student, Pfc. Kevin Haskins of Oxford, Ohio, said it feels good to be able to find something to do in his spare time while deployed.

The light-wheel vehicle mechanic added the class is both productive and entertaining at the same time.

Faulkner’s blacksmith class focuses on basic knife structure, strength, shape and purpose.

The native of St. Louis said that the purpose of the knife – whether it’s hunting, fishing, skinning, self-defense, decoration or art – determines what type of metal should be used and how much will be needed for the project.

According to Faulkner, he hopes his students walk away from his class with a family heirloom.

“From the Civil War to World War I to the Korean War to Vietnam,” Faulkner said. “Knives that were [hand] made are worth more to family members than any amount of money.” However, he further explained that quality theater-made knives have been known to be worth a lot, if not in sentiment, in monetary value.

Haskins said he doesn’t plan on selling anything he makes in country – he’s either keeping them or giving them away as presents. The former art student is currently on his third project which he intends to give to his girlfriend back home.

As long as Faulkner could remember he has always experimented in the craft of “making something out of nothing.” But, he didn’t start to sharpen his raw talent until he met his previous battalion commander and his friend Charlie Ochs, a master bladesmith, who taught him how to make knives correctly.

Service Detachment Commander 1st Lt. John Eimers saws apart a piece of metal in Baghdad, April 13. Eimers of Chicago is one the Special Operations Task Force – Central Soldiers who is crafting knives with the help of Chief Warrant Officer Russell Faulkner of St. Louis. Photo by Spc. Jeffrey Ledesma

“Because he shared it with me, I want to share it with them,” Faulkner said pointing at his students who were busy working on their knives. He explained his passion for the lost art is driven mostly by being able to pass it on to others.

And the chief warrant officer, who plans on becoming a shop teacher when he retires, added that the experience so far has been good instructing practice.

“You learn more from teaching it then you do from doing it,” he said.

He explained that the experience has helped him get a grasp on the numerous teaching styles that fit best with the many different personalities and skill levels.

The students in his class come to him with a wide range of ability and experiences.

According to Haskins, Faulkner has all the qualities to make a great teacher.

“He has been very patient and understanding,” Haskins said. “He understands where students should start [and] how to teach all the basics. He’s truly good at what he does.”

Chief Warrant Officer Russell Faulkner (left) of St. Louis teaches Pfc. Kevin Haskins of Oxford, Ohio, how to properly sharpen a theater-made knife in Baghdad, March 22. Photo by Spc. Jeffrey Ledesma

Lightheartedly, Haskins said he would love to do this all the time when he gets back home as long as he could find all the equipment at a price he could afford.

However, until then he will have to continue to create theater-made knives for his friends and family with Faulkner’s assistance.

Over his last two deployments, Faulkner has helped craft over 200 knives and has taught more than 30 students.

Despite what parents have been telling their children for decades, the 20-year-veteran and his fellow Soldiers continue to play with fire and have fun with sharp objects in hopes of “making something out of nothing.”

DVIDS
Story by Spc. Jeffrey Ledesma

Soldiers of the scout sniper team attached to Company A, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad unload a solar powered water purifier which was given to the village of Lutifiyah, Feb. 28. A ceremony was held by local sheiks, villagers, and Soldiers from 1-63 CAB for the installation of a coalition-funded, solar- powered water filter to bring clean potable water to people in the Mahmudiyah Qada.

Nadhel, an Iraqi engineer, places a tube into a water canal to bring water into a solar powered water purifier during a ceremony attended by local sheiks, villagers and Soldiers of the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad in Lutifiyah, Feb 28. The water purifier will bring clean potable water to nearly 200 people in the village which is part of the Mahmudiyah Qada.

LUTIFIYAH, Iraq – Local sheiks, villagers and Soldiers of the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division held a ceremony, Feb. 28, for the installation of a coalition-funded, solar-powered water filter to purify the village’s water.

The $5,300 project was funded by the Commander’s Emergency Relief Program.

The water purifier was delivered and set up adjacent to a water canal on a farm and some of the local sheiks as well as villagers gathered near the canal to view a demonstration on how the purifier works.

“This is an important contribution that means a lot to the Iraqi people. We have worked with the coalition [forces] in the past, and I’m glad our relationship is continuing,” said Sheik Hamid Turkey, a local area tribal leader.

Local area leaders chose the location in Lutifiyah because the water purifier will be available for use by 150 to 200 people who will now have access to clean potable water. The local leaders also chose the sight because of security reasons. It has the direct oversight of Sons of Iraq checkpoints, so concerns of it being stolen are minimal.

The water purifier is cost efficient because it is charged by the sun, and allows the local Iraqi people to have clean water available to them, which they did not have in the past.

“I think it’s really great for the Soldiers of the scout platoon/sniper section to be able to give this water filter to a group of local nationals who do not enjoy the same privileges we have had growing up [in the United States]. I had not seen anything like this filter before. The system is really cool,” said Spc. Kevin Stroud, a Soldier of the scout platoon, and a native of Dallas, Texas.

Nadhel, an Iraqi engineer takes a drink of purified water from a canal in Lutifiyah, Feb. 28.

1-63 CAB has partnered with local sheiks in the villages of the Mahmudiyah Qada, which includes Lutifiyah, for the emplacement of six solar powered water purifiers in the past several months. The 1-63 CAB troops plan to place more water filters in the future in different areas of the Mahmudiyah Qada, and have other future projects planned for the Lutifiyah area as well.

“It is important to help the Iraqi people have sources of clean water. It is also beneficial for the relationship we’re trying to build, because it is a sign of trust to them,” said 1st Lt. Henry Brewster, scout platoon leader, Company A, 1-63 CAB and a native of Youngstown, Ohio.

DVIDS
Story by Jamie Vernon

I decided to give Live Write another try. The last time I used it, I quit because it would not display what the blog ended up displaying. If I can’t accurately preview my work, no point in using the program.

My Other Work

I was born and raised in a small town in upstate New York. Went to St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, and finally fell into this profession. Discovered computers in college where we learned on a Xerox mainframe (!). I’ve been a member of the Lions’ Clubs, a volunteer firefighter, and for the last twelve years a NYS certified EMT-D. From about 1986 to 1992 I ran a small, portrait photography business, and a few of those photos will turn up on my blog from time to time. I continue to be interested in photography.

    Bullets
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A wovel. A wheelbarrow shovel for snow removal

I ran across this last night at Mario’s. The lovely lady acting as hostess told me that it is called a wovel, wheelbarrow shovel. She said that it was invented by a young man who worked at Mario’s several years ago and he holds the patent on it. He has upgraded the device to have three wheels, she told me.

I wish I knew enough about mechanical advantage to calculate how much this device would ease the burden of snow removal. The handle can be adjusted to several different positions, as seen in this photo:

Detail showing handle adjustment for the wovel

It would appear that this would be an ideal device for older folks to move snow with less effort. The wovel site has a lot of details and photos.

The Army began moving equipment by rail in the 19th century.

Since then, the power source has changed from steam to diesel and electric. Fort Lewis just received two members of a clean, new generation – “ultra-low-emitting locomotives.”

Manufactured by National Railway Equipment Company, the “N-Viromotive” locomotives cost $1.5 million apiece and will replace the current Fort Lewis fleet of two older diesels and one electric model. They will continue to use diesel fuel, but in a far more efficient manner.

“These new … locomotives should provide Fort Lewis with an overall reduction in rail-related fuel usage of over 60 percent compared to our older units,” said Russ Baggerly, chief of the Installation Transportation Division, “plus a nearly 80 percent reduction in emissions of nitrous gas and particulate solids. These are very, very clean-running systems.”

Instead of one large, conventional power plant, the locomotives feature three computer-controlled engines.

“As the engine senses it needs more power, another one will kick on,” said Pat McMullin, a Fort Lewis locomotive engineer. “And if you need more power, a third one will kick on. As you gain momentum, they start dropping off. That way you can maintain your speed.”

“Each engine generates 700 horsepower,” Baggerly said. “It’s all computerized and automatic. It’s also smart, in that it’ll turn off the engine that has the most operating hours, so it keeps the hours about the same.

“In terms of … fuel economy, each one of those can pull twice as much freight as (the older locomotives). Sixty-five percent less fuel, and I can move twice as much freight down the rail. These things really do have the grunt to move the freight we need them to move.”

By substituting composite materials for steel in their construction, NREC added to the fuel economy of the new locomotives.

“The old ones are 100 percent steel,” Baggerly pointed out.

According to Baggerly, the new locomotives are undergoing “maintenance and acceptance trials” now before being placed into service at about mid year. They will roll over a Fort Lewis rail system that began receiving a $15 million makeover last August that should be completed when the locomotives are ready.

“The (operational tempo) of the deployments is such that we have to be able to move cargo by rail,” Baggerly said.

“We’re going to essentially quadruple our rail capacity by the time this thing’s done.”

U.S. Army
by Bob Reinert, a reporter with Fort Lewis’ Northwest Guardian

CAMP FOSTER, Japan — The Facilities Engineer Environmental Branch is testing a new experimental paint on several buildings in an effort to reduce energy costs.

The idea for the project was conceived by Leslie B. Smith, support section supervisor at the environmental branch, in response to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which mandates all government buildings become more energy efficient.

The paint, manufactured by Specialty Concrete Design Incorporated, is designed to better insulate and reduce heat transfer.

The painting began Jan. 12, after about a year of planning and funding requests. The test subjects are buildings 470, 472 and 473. Building 473’s roof was coated with the paint, while building 470’s external sides were painted from the ground up. Building 472 was not painted and will serve as the constant to help analyze the effectiveness of the paint on the other two buildings.

According to Smith, each building’s electrical consumption data will be recorded monthly, and the buildings will be monitored with thermal photography.

In addition, temperature and humidity readings will be continuously recorded and monitored.

The monitoring period is a one-year cycle that started this month.

“If its going to save the Marine Corps a lot of money and keep us cool in the summer, then that’s good for us,” said Cpl. Janel A. Regalado, military police with the Central Provost Marshal’s Office here.

The paint can reduce the amount of energy required to maintain desired temperature levels in the summer and winter by reducing the amount of heat absorbed and transferred through the walls.

According to Smith, a coating of this paint is equal to approximately 20 inches of ceiling insulation. He went on to say the new paint is safe for humans and the environment.

“This stuff is almost too good to be true,” Smith said. “If it works, then we will apply it to all buildings on all camps.”

Plans to coat buildings on Camps Hansen and Courtney with the paint are scheduled to begin within the next two months, Smith said.

DVIDS
By Lance Cpl. Thomas W. Provost
III Marine Expeditionary Force