Air Force Calls for Proposals on…How to Control Weeds
- Posted on November 11, 2011 at 11:40am by
Liz Klimas
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Here a propane torch kills weeds. (Photo: Weed Dragon Torch Kit from Flame Engineering)
Wired’s Danger Room would like to point out that one of the Air Force’s most recent requests for proposals from small businesses includes an interesting topic that one might not immediately expect from a military organization. Objective: weed control.
Let’s face it, military facilities have weed problems too. And, if how they make their beds is any indication of how they want their facilities maintained, the weeds have to go.
Here’s the description in the Air Force 12.1 Small Business Innovation Research Proposal Submission Instructions number 207:
Develop a device that uses directed energy technology to prevent and abate unwanted plants (weeds) in areas that require control or defoliation. The purpose of this system will be the removal of unwanted plants and keep seeds from germinating.
Wired breaks down just what “directed energy technology” means:
If you’re wondering, yes, you’re right — “directed-energy” is a compound adjective that typically precedes “weapons,” as in lasers, pain rays, and sonic weapons.
The Air Force submission instructions state that each year millions of dollars are spent on weed abatement, but there are some problems with traditional control methods. Hence why they’re looking for some new ideas:
Herbicide use generally has negative impacts on bird populations, although the impacts are highly variable and often require extensive field studies to predict accurately. Having a cost effective device that eliminates the use of herbicides or reduces the amount of machinery could extensively save money and protect wildlife at the same time.
Apparently, some technologies have already been developed including “microwave radiation (as heat), lasers, and sound“ and ”thermal technologies such as foam, hot water, steam and quenched hot gases to physically rupture cell membranes within young, vigorous green weeds to shut down the plant’s capacity for photosynthesis, has been explored as a means for safe, effective weed control.” But the real challenge the Air Force is looking to solve is a device that targets weed growth at various stages — from seedling to full-fledged dandelion.
Wired spoke with an unnamed military rep who said there is a good chance if a successful product is developed for military use, it could potentially come to the commercial market as well.
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Comments (87)
Salamander
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 2:15pmBuy better (weed free) grass seed!
Report Post »turkey13
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 2:22pmOn all the cooking shows it is in to use grass fed cows and free range chickens and eggs. All the AFB has to do to be PC is turn a few cows out to eat weeds and let free range chickens follow cows and eat poop and then eat chickens at mess hall.
Report Post »yougottabekidding
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 3:36pmBetter yet, put OWS out there NOTHING can grow including common sense.
Report Post »WeekendAtBernankes
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 4:14pmIf you’ve never bought free-range eggs, it’s incredible how hard the shells are compared to the battery chicken eggs. That was enough for me to switch (only about $0.70 more).
Report Post »Go Glenn
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 4:17pmLeave it to the Gov’t to look for a much more complex (and of course more costly) method of doing what the public does with little time, cost, or danger……….spray with RoundUp.
Why is it that the private sector (you know, the evil capitalists) don’t go out looking for a more complex and expensive means to accomplish a goal? Oh, Yes, Now I remember………we do thing the most efficient way possible because WE don’t have an endless supply of money!!!!
MORONS!!!!!!!!
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 5:34pmMaybe they want a Bid for Astro Turf… in order to Carpet everything!
Report Post »Morris
Posted on November 12, 2011 at 12:43pmBury some Islamic Muslims in the ground were you have a weed problem!
The Islamic Muslims posion the soil of every country that they invade!
IMPEACH DICTATOR BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA OUR MUSLIM-IN-CHIEF,SAVE OUR AMERICA!
Report Post »yougottabekidding
Posted on November 13, 2011 at 6:10amGo Glenn
Report Post »That’s someone elses unlimited supply of money!
Lets say when you dispose of what you have because you can not store it, and its budget time, and you know if you don‘t spend what you spent last year you won’t get it the following year. There is a slight flaw in the system. ( something like the $1000 toilet seats.)
In detroit
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 2:15pmPicture shows it all that is how you kill weeds amen
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 2:14pmHow about a weed-eating insect! Better, one that can be genetically programmed to attack one variety of weed or weed family at a time, and then die (so as not to start a plague like the biblical plagues of Eqypt)? Maybe a genetic herbicide that is weed-specific that could be spread by honeybees, with no harm to themselves and specific harm only to the weed varieties desired, with no harm to agricultural and landscape plants? Maybe some of these OWS protesters could go get a ‘real’ education, like in bio-engineering and come up with such a revolutionary solution to real-World problem and stop trying to steal from grandma’s housing, healthcare and burial fund! If they were nice, grandma might even leave them any residuals left over! Nah, toss grandma out of her residence and make sure she cannot find alternative housing, steal her wealth and let the taxpayers pay for her upkeep until they get tired of it or she naturally expires (which might be accelerated with the ‘proper’ diet–starvation)!
Report Post »Nala2k4
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 7:17pmI think this has already been done by Monsanto. Leave it to them and we will not have a living thing left on this planet. The military is really messing with things it should not be dealing with. Weather and now they want to kill weeds?? If you want to cut military budget, this would be a great place to start.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 2:13pmAny AFB that I have been to… has Troops doing Weed Patrol & Policing. Does this really mean the Military is planning a Mass Reduction?
Report Post »Longslide7
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 1:51pmBetter yet have some of the Navy goats deployed TAD that would be very PC
Report Post »Longslide7
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 1:48pmO for pity sake; Your the United States Air Farce! Use Napalm!
Report Post »JimmyP
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 1:26pmOooo, USAF has fire!
er, fire BAAADDDD, earth GoooooD.
Call the blue people from the Avatar future, they know best!
Feed the uncooked non-fertalized organic earth-power weeds for grunts, sell rest to Whole Foods
Find a way to convert them to renewable alternative green bio-fuels.
Stop calling them weeds
Let them become a fshion statement.
Convert the world to Druidic culture
Turn this project into an “X-prize” contest making sure that everybody wins 1st place.
Declare weeds the gay part of Mother Nature’s children-flowers
Declare then an endangered species
Offer time for daily meditation on how we have enslaved and trodden on our plant bretheren.
Let them live for God’s sake, man!
Oh, I almost forgot
Bite me, Greens!
Report Post »smithclar3nc3
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 1:34pmI‘m no brain mechanic but wouldn’t round up and a pre-emergent solve the problem.
Report Post »Lord_Frostwind
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 2:17pmOkay you now have me laughing so hard I nearly gave me keyboard a soda shower.
Now all you have to do is develop ponytails that let you connect to all living things on earth, and enjoy all the squick involved with that.
I recommend salting the earth, cheap, effective and final.
Report Post »Parnelli
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 1:08pmI say bale it and market it in cigarette form for the great unwashed.
Report Post »MatthewChapter24
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:48pmIt is such an odd sight to see my neighbor walking around her yard spritzing weed killer on her dandelions. For pete’s sake, bend down and pull them out by hand! There are special “weed puller” tools, but you can use a screwdriver if the taproot is deep. There are other neighbors out creating lots of noise with their leafblowers. Pick up a rake, buddy.
And we wonder why our citizens are so fat.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:50pmLook hero, you need to learn to speak bull-crap from now on when you watch the news. They are not talking about weeds as in “Grass-weeds”, but they are talking about “People weeds.”
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:51pmBecause you apparently just haven’t had it dawn on you how really bad things are in the world.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:54pmI speak many languages, and bull-crap is one of them.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:56pmThings are very, very, very, very bad in the world and the U.S and the illusion just hasn’t collapsed yet.
Report Post »hercules1
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:58pmhave gots — goats will eat the weeds
Report Post »ozchambers
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:59pmWEEDS ARE PEOPLE!!! (or is that soylent green?)
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 1:06pmObviously, Obama has finally got his Military Team in place… they are Zombies alike him, look for Brains to eat!
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 1:10pmYou see, if you are not of the Socialist mentality one of those “Green grasses”, then you are a weed amongst the green grasses. You are a weed keeping the ruling elites from their green grasses. You’ve got to learn to speak bogus.
Report Post »Apple Bite
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:47pmRidiculous. What has the military become under Liberal’s guidance? This isn’t something the Airforce would be worried about. We’re talking about the same branch that used smog trucks to kill mosquitoes during the summer back in the day…right around dinner time at that.
Report Post »JLGunner
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 1:31pmlook at what this administration has done with NASA.
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 2:05pmAnd C-130s to spray their bases–the whole damn place!
Report Post »OhSnappage
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:45pmDo they want an app for that?
Geez, how about just doing some simple landscaping? lay down tarps and mulch, alternate landscaping duty with the service men. I also like the goat idea. =)
How about offering this duty in return for room and board to a former vet? or to someone who wants to serve but can’t because of medical issues.
Report Post »guntotinsquaw
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:44pmOK…try goats…and I just saved us BILLIONS!!!
Report Post »hercules1
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:59pmexactly goats
Report Post »ZaphodsPlanet
Posted on November 13, 2011 at 12:09pmI was thinking the same thing. Years ago an old next door neighbor let me borrow two of his boar goats to clean up my back yard at the time. I backed up to wilderness and 10-20ft from that back fence was just overgrown with anything and everything, including tons of poison ivy. We let two of his goats hang out in the back yard for a week or so… by they time they were done the back looked cleanly mowed, it was fertilized… and all the underbrush… up to about 4-5ft was cleared….LOL. And when I say they eat anything I mean they eat anything. I was painting the house one weekend when they were out there…. had a 5 gallon bucket of paint with the top off and turned my back on it for a few minutes. When I noticed one of the freaking goats was drinking it. I threw on the cover and ran to my neighbors telling him what happened… being worried it might croak if I did nothing. He said, “was it the black one or the grey one?”… told him “grey”…. he said, “eh… screw it… don’t care about that one”….LOL. BTW…. the goat was just fine.
Report Post »Elena2010
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:42pmGot goats?
It’s what we use down here to keep the RR tracks clear.
Report Post »ares338
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:36pmProposals?….proposals?.we don‘t need no stinkin’ proposals. For craps sake have the grunts go out and pull the damned things.Arrggghhhhhhhhhh…..I hate stupidity!
Report Post »Elena2010
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:43pmIt’s the Air Force, not the Marines. Air Force does not do “grunt” work LOL They don’t stand duty then go to work. It’s the Air Force…brilliant folks but not very military. Great chow halls though!
Report Post »hillbillyinny
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:35pmAs a sheep producer and a Border Collie trainer–SHEEP!
Report Post »elosogrande
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:33pmPreen – Weed Be Gone – Round Up – If these don’t do the job, the Airforce might fall back on their General Curtis Lemay’s suggestion as to how he would have handled the Cuban missile crisis. Total weed control, but with a few negatives, and you probably wouldn’t call it directed energy.
It would be interesting to find what the USAF’s final solution costs the American Taxpayers.
What dumb asses.
Report Post »GodHatesFigs
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:36pmThe article said they were trying to eliminate the use or herbicides.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:42pmI like the Curtis LeMay style of suggestion — also good to prove the devices still work; though a nice parking lot of fused glass with natural lighting (for a millenia or ten) does add a nice touch.
Report Post »Mandors
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:30pmThey should have never been separated from the Army.
Report Post »RedManBlueState
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:30pmJust make it a punishment for bad behavior, peel potatoes or pull weeds.
Report Post »JimmyP
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 1:17pmSorry, “Punishment” is no longer doled out in the USAF.
We now place errant carbon-based life forms in a “Cool-Hand’ Luke re-education facility.
OK, citizen as you were.
Report Post »klbrooks123
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:29pmEasy use goats the Navy used them for years and they are even safe in fuel storage areas,
Report Post »Mandors
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 1:16pmYou give the Air Force goats you’ll have whole new DADT thing.
Report Post »klbrooks123
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:27pmIt easy use goats the Navy used them for years even at fuel storage areas. They are totally safe and eat everything, including weeds.
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:42pmFirst thing I’d do is control what I could control, and I ‘d control it well. Where do non indigenous (weeds) plants come from? That’s right people, other places. How do they get there? Very good question and a very complicated answer. Uncontrolled or monitored agricultural and horticultural movements. From ‘Free Trade’ farmers deep in Mexico and Canada selling their goods to the suckers in America. You’ll note here that neither of these countries allows a reciprocal policy. But exceptions are made for Billions of U.S. dollars ponied up by the U.S. Tax payers.
The problem, is government. It can’t control its own bladder. It is a giant sieve of American resources. In old days America would be allowed to die. But those in control are the ones infected and we have nothing to say about it. We just pay.
The howls from every point on the compass rose for diversity and aid for the weak and for this plant that might go extinct or that bug. But still preaching Darwinism. Where is the sense? Is there evolution or isn’t there? do species come and go? is man responsible for them coming and going? are we responsible for the evolution of all living things?
Yea, maybe a bit deep for weed control, but we wouldn’t have these problems if we had maintained control in the first place.
Report Post »JLGunner
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:20pmuummm lean over and pull them out. Problem solved.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:04pm“Herbicide use generally has negative impacts on bird populations” I beg to differ. We use a combination of pre and post emergence herbicides on our golf course and you can’t keep the birds off it.
Report Post »ccfonten
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:10pmTwo words: ROUND UP!!
Report Post »This ain‘t my daddy’s Air Force obviously!
GodHatesFigs
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:22pm@gonzo
Report Post »I think they were talking about the idea that herbicides can negatively affect bird health or health of the offspring.
@CCFONTEN
Round Up is an herbicide.
GhostOfJefferson
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:25pm@CCFonten
Would that be the same military that had us *sweeping Texas dirt* in the heat of the day in order for us to be said to be doing something “gainful”? This in the mid 1980′s (it was where I took classes for my MOS).
The military, I’m sad to inform you, generally ain‘t where you go when you’re looking for high levels of competence. There‘s a reason we called NCO’s “No Chance Outside”.
Report Post »V-MAN MACE
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:25pmRound-up is poisonous, cancer causing chemicals made by unholy Monsanto who purchased Scotts.
Don’t use that mess.
And what kind of weeds are they…handling… at the airforce that requires directed energy weaponry…
I smell a whiff of some pungent lies cooking up here.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:02pmActually if they want a very efficient way to make the weeds disappear for good there is this time honored classic — take the most useless idiots (such as #Occupy) and miscreants of society (same) and line them up with hoes, they actually have to do something called “work” to earn the right to have the other thing called “food and water”
And to provide some incentive, do not tell them where the mine fields are or the dens of the wild boars.
Report Post »Uncurable wound
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:01pmDo they have anything we can use on liberals?
Report Post »Oh wait they do,its called “High caliber ”…
GhostOfJefferson
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:01pmWell, first you make sure your hydroponic garden is keeping it watered as it should, and that your nutrients are correctly mixed. After that, ensure that your grow lights are safely out of sight of prying eyes, the last thing you need is cops busting down your doors….
Oh…wait…it said “weeds”..plural. Oops, my bad.
Report Post »Danang1972
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:37pmA little comedy is good. Nice post!
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