The Air Force civil engineers that keep the water flowing—and treated—at Kirkuk AB, Iraq, and Forward Operating Base Warrior, are critical because unlike stateside where treated water may go into a stream or river to be reabsorbed into the environment, the water in Iraq goes directly back into the water table from whence it came. It is non-potable water—not used for drinking—but, officials say, the more than 100,000 gallons of waste water CE treats each day still must go through a 12-hour cleaning process.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
