Water for Warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan: A Summary of Lessons Learned

The Army is the Department of Defense executive agent for land-based field water supplies. The Army Corps of Engineers, Army Quartermaster Corps, and Army Medical Department coordinate to provide the necessary support to obtain, treat, disinfect, certify, distribute, and monitor drinking water during deployments. This collaboration is necessary to ensure that an adequate quantity of acceptable quality drinking water is available for deployed personnel at all base camps and in all operations. Important lessons were learned from the beginning of operations in Iraq in 2003 continuing throughout 2 wars. These included lessons about the employment and management of bottled water during deployments, the quality and potential usefulness of "wastewater" from the reverse osmosis water purifiers, the usefulness and acceptability of military packaged water, and our lack of preparedness to readily address the drinking water needs of small squad and platoon-sized operations lasting more than a few days. The lessons we learned have and will continue to enhance our ability to readily meet Warfighters' requirements for that most critical of supplies--sustaining a supply of safe, aesthetically pleasing drinking water.