Drespite being equipped to lay waste to the countryside, the U.S. Army is cleaning up waste and practicing conservation as part of a broad effort of environmental measures. The service is actively pursuing environmental policies that range from preserving endangered species to reducing its carbon footprint by converting its fleet of tactical vehicles to electric power. These efforts are undertaken both at U.S. bases and installations and overseas during training and actual deployments. Understanding environments is a principal task for every soldier, says Lt. Gen. Walter E. Piatt, USA, director of the Army staff. At the tactical level, the Army must have a deep understanding of the environment. "The Army is a land force," the general posits. "We live on the land, we operate on the land, we train on the land. It's essential for everything we do." His own connection to the environment through the Army was honed during his years of service in the 10th Mountain Division. The divisions roots in World War Ⅱ featured alpinists such as skiers and mountain climbers, and the doctrine they developed encompassed environmental concerns. Those soldiers operated under the concept that they faced two adversaries: the mountain and the enemy, but they would befriend the mountain to the soldiers' advantage. "We have to live and operate in very harsh environments," the general relates, "but knowing how the environment interacts with humans and how humans interact within those environments, we learn to make a friend of that environment, and how we can use it to our advantage."
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