The fuel technicians of the 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron at Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan, have to dig the unit’s huge fuel storage bladders out of the snow—by hand. It takes 12 airmen about two hours per berm, and there are 10 berms, each extending about 10,000 square feet. Snow on the storage bladders causes problems, such as changing the pressure readings for the fuel, and if its melts, it can lock the bags in pools of ice potentially causing the bag to break and leak valuable fuel. The Manas fuel activity is vital to operations in Afghanistan, where KC-135 tankers dispense about 150,000 gallons of fuel every day.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to undertake far-reaching reforms on the way the U.S. military buys weapons, promising a sweeping overhaul of the way the Defense Department determines requirements, handles the acquisition process, and tests its kit. The fundamental goal, which Hegseth underscored in a 1-hour and 10-minute speech…
