See, and you thought the military wasn't current.

In these times of oil concerns, we the consumer aren't the only ones dealing with high prices. The Department of Defense is feeling our pain. Using an estimated 5 million gallons of fuel a day to support the efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq is costing a pretty penny.
The Pentagon is spending research dollars to developing hybrid electric engines (internal-combustion engines with battery power)for the Humvee in order to extend the vehicle’s range, increase its survival on the battlefield, and lower the operating cost. The Army and Marine Corps are testing hybrid vehicles in order to build a vehicle that can operate more effectively in the battlespace. In past wars, the military could race ahead and then stop safely behind the front lines to refuel. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the war is fought throughout the country, and supply convoys are always at risk. Hybrid vehicles could reduce the number of convoys.

Beyond being more fuel efficient, hybrid vehicles provide: 1) near-silent operation by running on batteries alone 2) a source of electricity for field command posts and the vehicle's batteries could recharge other items 3) the hybrids are faster than standard Humvees.

Currently the Army is testing a half-dozen hybrid-electric versions of the Humvee chassis at various testing grounds in the U.S. The Marines are testing a different vehicle called the RST-V (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Targeting Vehicle), a light truck built by General Dynamics that has an electric motor at each wheel hub. The Marines hope to test the RST-V in Iraq this year, but the details are still being worked on.

Now we've all seen the success of hybrid's for commerical and private use but the military still needs to determine how it they will withstand battlefield conditions. The Army and Marines are combining their separate research efforts this year and it looks like the Defense Department will buy a common Humvee replacement for all services. So again with the cost savings. See, and you thought the military wasn't trying to be current.