Leaf blowers, laser pointers, and speedboat hulls

Now on the front lines in Iraq.

Although the Pentagon has been a tireless advocate for high-tech superiority, the U.S. military is still struggling to defend soldiers in Iraq from roadside bombs and other low-tech improvisations by insurgents. So in response to this ever-evolving menace, the military is also trying to be more creative and less plodding in procuring the right battle gear.
The result? A lengthening list of unconventional weapons, including laser pointers warning Iraqi drivers to slow down before checkpoints and high-powered leaf blowers that can clear debris used to conceal explosives. "Everything we do is based on the enemy. And it's an adaptive, smart enemy," says Jerry Ferguson of the Army's Rapid Equipping Force, which aims to fast-track off-the-shelf equipment to the front lines. The unconventional items are the result of smart ideas that bubble up in the civilian sector.

Better spending

With the Iraq war costing more than $6 billion a month, the Pentagon has altered its buying habits. For example, Beam of Light's lasers cost $150 apiece, just a fraction of the $1,000 each the Army was initially paying. Beam of Light has sold more than 25,000 lasers to the military since 2003, with 3,000 more going out every month. "It's become the focus of our company," founder John Mueller says. Sales have jumped from $1.5 million in 2005 to $3 million last year, almost 60% of it coming from the military.

Other REF purchases include electronic devices that translate English into Arabic and bullhorn-siren combinations that are attached to the tops of vehicles. The office is also cutting electricity, air conditioning, and heating costs with more efficient generators and foam insulation for tents. The REF's first purchase was the Packbot, a robot designed to search Afghani caves for explosives. It was developed by iRobot, the same company that makes the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner. But Lieutenant Colonel Dan Shea of the REF's Iraq office says most purchases are of low-tech civilian gear. "We find a problem, then we identify something that's readily available," he says.