FORCE PROVIDER - AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM

The Army has been developing a new system that can be beneficial to di saster relief efforts: Force Provider. Force Provider is a ''tent city '' designed to temporarily house and support soldiers. Army commanders identified the requirement for a collective support package during Op eration Desert Storm. The commanders observed the need to maintain the soldier's overall combat readiness during prolonged periods of inacti vity in combative environments. The soldier's overall combat readiness can be increased through improvements in the field food services, sle eping quarters, hygiene facilities, and morale and welfare activities. Additional military applications include theater of operations recept ion missions, reconstitution missions, and Force Provider system suppo rt training. All the equipment necessary to operate and support Force Provider is pre-positioned as a complete system at one location. It is easily accessed and transported. Furthermore, a command team has been permanently assigned to maintain, operate and support Force Provider. A team of specialists has been identified to operate the system when deployed and will train on a regular basis.