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Why are the military interested in Hexayurts?

The short answer is that the military is always looking for new ways to solve problems.

The long answer is more complicated.

The Long Answer

The role of the military changes over time. Things are changing at the Pentagon. In 2005, Gordon England signed 3000.05 which says that the military has to develop really advanced capabilities in fixing things up, and that they should get about as good at fixing things as they currently are at breaking them. To be more precise, it says:

Stability operations are a core U.S. military mission that the Department of Defense shall be prepared to conduct and support. [Stability operations] shall be given priority comparable to combat operations and be explicitly addressed and integrated across all DoD activities including doctrine, organizations, training, education, exercises, materiel, leadership, personnel, facilities, and planning.

Stability operations are conducted to help establish order that advances U.S. interests and values. The immediate goal often is to provide the local populace with security, restore essential services, and meet humanitarian needs. The long-term goal is to help develop indigenous capacity for securing essential services, a viable market economy, rule of law, democratic institutions, and a robust civil society. (emphasis added)

This is a mandate for military-funded development of appropriate technology resources. Nothing else is even close to fulfilling this requirement.

I believe what's going to come out of this directive in the long run is high quality solutions for shelter, for housing in general, for power, for water, for lighting, for cooking, and for every needful thing.

I built Hexayurts at the Strong Angel III demonstration in San Diego, CA, and Combined Endeavor 2007 in Germany. I also presented on them to a group of senior logistics officers at the Pentagon, and work with the "Expedient Infrastructure for Transitory Populations" project. Buckminster Fuller worked extensively with the Department of Defense for many, many years, and I hope that I am helping keep his ideas alive for the current generation of the military.

--Vinay Gupta 08:40, 2 August 2007 (PDT)

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