Safe From Out-sourcing
The troops probably won’t hear press ‘1’ for English in accessing this tech support. An interesting article on Tech support supplied to our troops by the U.S Army Engineering Development and Research Center.
The stakes are much higher here, with troops asking about the structural integrity of bridges, roads, dams and airfields: Can this structure be safely used after sustaining damage from bombings? If it happens to be booby-trapped, what sort of damage would be sustained if we inadvertently detonate the bomb? Can we land a plane here and be sure we can quickly get it off the ground again? Is there a way we can quickly build our own bridge, road, dam or landing strip?
Already commented on ad infinitum at a Slashdot post. Also gives me a chance to test drive the OTB site here before I try anything too ambitious.
ERDC has peacetime missions as well. Its specialists can address a broad range of scientific and technological issues, from survival in arctic temperatures to vehicle mobility in desert sands; from saving wetlands to protecting U.S. troops around the globe; and from pinpointing the exact location of an artillery round to predicting the extended habitat range of an endangered species.
