IDF officers candidate school going from khaki to 'green'

Plan being drawn up to change Bahad 1 - located near Mitzpeh Ramon - into an energy-efficient base.

By YAAKOV KATZ
The soldiers there already wear green uniforms, but soon the IDF's Bahad 1 Officers Training School will become Israel's first "green" military base. A plan is currently being drawn up under the supervision of OC Technological and Logistics Directorate Maj.-Gen. Dan Biton, to change Bahad 1 - located near Mitzpeh Ramon - into an energy-efficient base for a initial investment of NIS 5 million. Bahad 1 was opened at its current location in the desert 41 years ago. Tens of thousands of IDF soldiers have since passed through its doors on their way to becoming staff officers, support combat officers and combat officers. The current commander is Col. Aharon Haliva. Under the revolutionary plan, which if successful will be implemented in other military bases, motion-detection light systems will be installed in rooms on the base to automatically shut off lights once the rooms are empty. Faucets will also be fitted with electronic sensors which can be activated only when a hand is detected nearby. In addition, the entire base will be rewired with a new electrical system featuring electronic chokes instead of magnetic ones that use more energy. Electronic chokes reportedly need only 40 watts while conventional tubes with ordinary chokes require 55 watts. Warehouses that have been using old electrical systems for lighting will also be refitted with new energy-saving systems. "The purpose of the plan is to conserve energy," explained a senior officer from the Technological and Logistics Directorate. "There is no better place to do this than Bahad 1, which is where we train the future generation of IDF officers, who can then pass on this new culture."