Marines Going Green to Save Lives on Battlefield

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) — The Marine Corps is going green to save lives rather than to save the planet.

In a renewable energy strategy revealed to troops Monday, the service says it plans to equip thousands of Marines in Afghanistan with solar-powered equipment over the next year in an effort to decrease the need to make risky runs for fuel through enemy territory.

The Marine Corps says the change comes after the service studied a three-month period last year and found one Marine is wounded for every 50 trips made for fuel or water in Afghanistan.

The strategy also addresses the ongoing problem of U.S. reliance on the questionable practices of private security companies in Afghanistan that are used to protect the convoys.