The U.S. military is starting to look at new ways to handle the need for energy on the battlefield and in its operations. Power requirements for weapons and equipment like radios and night vision gear is often one of the limiting factors on how long a patrol can stay in the field and the distance a campaign can move from fresh supplies.

The Pentagon has now unveiled a new strategy that looks to make formal plans for the military to manage the use of energy on the battlefield. The new strategy will also consider energy needs when acquiring new weapons. This is the first time that the DoD has looked to change how energy is used in military operations.

Sharon Burke, assistant secretary of defense for operational energy plans and programs said during a taping of a program called this Week in Defense News, "It's become clear in the current operations that there are risks and costs we're taking on that we don't need to be taking on."

The new strategy made its way to Capitol Hill this week reports Defense News. The strategy calls for not only reductions in the need for energy in the field but for the expansion and securing of our energy supply and the building of energy into future forces. The strategy also asks that the DoD components document the projected energy consumption in current and planned operations with the individual services and combatant commands gathering the raw data.

The strategy reads, "To build and sustain this 21st century military force, particularly in an era of fiscal duress, the Department of Defense must use its resources wisely, and that includes our energy resources."

The strategy claims that right now the DoD tends to treat energy as a commodity. The strategy document reads, "[the DoD] tends to treat energy as a commodity that will always be readily available, regardless of the strategic, operational, and tactical costs."

The military is making adjustments and using tech to reduce the need for fuel and batteries in the field. Already, Marines operating in Afghanistan are using solar panels to help power their electric hardware. The strategy paper also notes that the DoD doesn't even have a set standard for batteries in radios. Needing only one type of battery would make life in the field easier.