Ammo, water, food, fuel....now AA Batteries

[Armymedic]

Interesting article I read discussing the importance of AA batteries to we modern soldiers. I know I carried 12 spare AA in various pockets and pouches on me during my last tour.

Electronic version found here:
http://www.thestar.com/SpecialSections/article/617490

Allan Woods
Ottawa Bureau

OTTAWA–The military has air power and firepower in Afghanistan, but providing Canadian soldiers with sufficient battery power is a multimillion-dollar concern for the country's war planners, according to an extensive defence department study.

While a rifle may be the soldier's most trusted ally, the modern force can be effectively neutralized without a steady supply of AAs. The simple alkaline battery now powers soldiers' night-vision goggles, flashlights, radios and global-positioning systems, as well as night, thermal and laser-guided gunsights.

 

[MJP]

While very true I found their math a bit suspect.  They based it on 2500 soldiers assuming all 2500 of those soldiers used AA batteries in those quantities.  We all know that the actual number of troops requiring those numbers of batteries is much lower. 

 

[Michael OLeary]

On the other hand, I remember speaking with a member of 2RCR QM staff at a time when the battalion was consuming 2000+ AA batteries per month.  The kicker was that the battalion held, at the time, only one piece of TOE equipment that required them (a single Rad Tech's meter).  The rest were going into Walkmans, flashlights, etc. (Issued flashlights in the 80s took D cells.)

 

[Armymedic]

I am not sure where they got the figure of 40 AA per man for a 3 day mission. Must be a stat somewhere.

Just me though, I had 1 in NVG, at least 4 on the gun, 2 in each flashlight, 4 in the GPS, and thats roughly a dozen (13 to be exact).

12 /day x 3 days = 36.

So I guess the lower numbers isn't so out to lunch.

 

[Old Sweat]

The AA batteries are only part of the story. A million years ago I was a lieutenant in HQ 4 CIBG in Fort Henry, Germany. One of my tasks was oversight of the stock of "battle batteries," which included ones for manpack radios, C and D cells for flashlights and various devices including aiming post lights and illuminators for sights etc, special batteries for surveillance devices, missile launchers, etc, etc. The dollar value to maintain 30 days op stocks was astounding, especially as the shelf life of a lot of the items was not good at all.

 

[BinRat55]

I am not sure where they got the figure of 40 AA per man for a 3 day mission. Must be a stat somewhere.

Just me though, I had 1 in NVG, at least 4 on the gun, 2 in each flashlight, 4 in the GPS, and thats roughly a dozen (13 to be exact).

12 /day x 3 days = 36.

So I guess the lower numbers isn't so out to lunch.

Attempting to stay in my lane here, but do the batteries only last a day? Really? My own personal GPS is still using the same one I put in 6 months ago - and I geocache. I find that flashlights will last a bit shorter, but much longer than a day...

 

[Michael OLeary]

It's probably not as much a matter of how long they last (to point of failure) than it is replacing them to ensure they aren't going to fail when you need them.

 

[BinRat55]

Seen. Never thought of that.

 

[chris_log]

I am not sure where they got the figure of 40 AA per man for a 3 day mission. Must be a stat somewhere.

Just me though, I had 1 in NVG, at least 4 on the gun, 2 in each flashlight, 4 in the GPS, and thats roughly a dozen (13 to be exact).

12 /day x 3 days = 36.

So I guess the lower numbers isn't so out to lunch.

Any idea what the approx cost was for that kind of battery consumption in Afghanistan?

 

[daftandbarmy]

The RSO of my Bn called me up one day just prior to deploying to Norway for an AMF (L) winter deployment and announced proudly "I have just signed for 1 million AA batteries". And apparently we used them all during a 5 month period... astounding.

 

[BKells]

Part of battle procedure is to replace all your batteries. And don't forget the PRR, which no one mentioned here yet.. that's 2 AAs.

 

[brihard]

Yeah, I'd say of all the kit we had, PRRs probably ate up AAs the fastest. Though I seldom had cause to use my NVGs, and those eat them quickly too. A number of us had EOTech sights, but those barely sipped juice- I only changed them out a couple times on the tour, and that was just as a precaution.

Another kind that went quickly were the CR123 Lithium batteries that Surefires and other tactical lights use.

 

[BinRat55]

The RSO of my Bn called me up one day just prior to deploying to Norway for an AMF (L) winter deployment and announced proudly "I have just signed for 1 million AA batteries". And apparently we used them all during a 5 month period... astounding.

Not only is it astounding - it's absurd. Bull.

 

[Michael OLeary]

Not only is it astounding - it's absurd. Bull.

Hmmm.

1,000,000 batteries.
Battalion of 600 men (guessing, based on Cdn Bn strength in AMF(L) time period).
1,667 batteries per man.

5 months.
150 days (est at 30 days per month).

11.11 batteries per man per day.

From the news article that started this thread:

The average infantry soldier on a three-day mission in Kandahar carries up to 40 spare AA batteries.

From a later poster for usage example:

1 in NVG, at least 4 on the gun, 2 in each flashlight, 4 in the GPS, and thats roughly a dozen (13 to be exact).

13 in use, 40 spare over 3 days = about 13 per man per day.

That million battery story may not be inaccurate.

Math and Logic - simply wonderful in application.

 

[dapaterson]

Math and Logic - simply wonderful in application.

Hey!  This is the internet!  We'll have none of that here!

 

[Michael OLeary]

Hey!  This is the internet!  We'll have none of that here!

Sorry, I keep forgetting that some of my lanes don't actually intersect with the multiverse of the intertubes.    8)

 

[OldSolduer]

I can see the AA battery problem. Flashlights, NVGs, etc all eat the power, and yes you should swap old for new especially for NVGs prior to nightfall. That Energizer Bunny must be tired..... :

 

[GAP]

I read an article quite awhile ago about the US forces running into a similar problem and there was some discussion regarding a larger/multioutlet belt carried  rechargeable lithium based battery to power such things as NVGs, etc.

Probably as initially expensive to develop as using disposables, but....

 

[dapaterson]

The other consideration is that the military tends not to deploy to regions where there's a Wal-Mart or Costco handy - so if certain key supplies run out, you're in big trouble.  So, in log planning, you make certain assumptions and add a margin for error.  Thus, if the normal use of AA batteries for a Bn over five months would be 800K, you'd probably bring 1M as a margin for error.

 

[brihard]

Hmmm.

1,000,000 batteries.
Battalion of 600 men (guessing, based on Cdn Bn strength in AMF(L) time period).
1,667 batteries per man.

5 months.
150 days (est at 30 days per month).

11.11 batteries per man per day.

From the news article that started this thread:

From a later poster for usage example:

13 in use, 40 spare over 3 days = about 13 per man per day.

That million battery story may not be inaccurate.

Math and Logic - simply wonderful in application.

And hell, let's face it- if someone needs new AAs for their iPod speakers and they can ADREP them, they're going to. AAs are one of those items particularly susceptible to unforcast usage.