Bridging the Gap: Water Purification in LSCO and the Return of the 92W – army.mil

Report on Water Purification Operations and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Operational Readiness and Global Sustainability

An analysis of the U.S. Army’s 92W Water Treatment Specialist military occupational specialty (MOS) reveals significant challenges in operational readiness, stemming from a prolonged focus on counterinsurgency (COIN) operations. The transition to large-scale combat operations (LSCO) necessitates a renewed focus on organic water purification capabilities. This report examines the current state of these capabilities, the risks associated with readiness gaps, and the critical alignment of water sustainment operations with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

Analysis of Current Capabilities and Challenges

The operational effectiveness of water treatment specialists has been degraded by systemic issues developed over the past two decades. These challenges present a direct threat to mission success and the well-being of personnel.

Systemic Skill Atrophy

• During COIN operations, reliance on contract support and municipal water sources led to the underutilization of 92W specialists.
• Many specialists lack practical, operational experience beyond initial training, resulting in a gap between technical qualification and real-world proficiency.
• Training exercises often fail to simulate realistic LSCO conditions, focusing on basic distribution rather than the complexities of purification, potability management, and consumption forecasting.

Equipment and Infrastructure Deficiencies

• A significant portion of essential equipment, such as Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units (ROWPUs), is reported to be unserviceable or improperly stored.
• A garrison mindset has led to sparse equipment maintenance, based on the assumption that contractor support will be available.
• The lack of hands-on equipment training in garrison environments, often due to environmental regulations and administrative hurdles, prevents specialists from developing critical maintenance and troubleshooting skills.

Doctrinal and Planning Misalignment

• Current unit-level tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) often reflect outdated COIN-era assumptions, failing to address the self-sufficient requirements of LSCO.
• There is a persistent gap between doctrinal guidance and operational practice, particularly concerning the logistical challenges of obtaining preventive medicine certification for potable water in austere environments.
• Operational planning frequently overlooks the complexities of purification, focusing instead on simpler bulk-water distribution models, which is inadequate for contested environments.

Alignment with Key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The challenges in military water sustainment directly impact the fulfillment of several SDGs within an operational context. Enhancing these capabilities is not only a tactical imperative but also a reflection of commitment to global sustainability principles.

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

The core function of the 92W specialist is to provide access to safe and potable water, directly embodying the objective of SDG 6. The current readiness gaps represent a failure to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water. A functional water purification capability is essential for sustaining life and operations where clean water is not otherwise accessible.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

Access to clean water is a fundamental determinant of health. The inability to reliably purify water in the field directly compromises the health and medical readiness of personnel, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases. Ensuring water potability is a critical preventive medicine function that supports the overall well-being of the force.

SDG 4: Quality Education

The report identifies a critical deficiency in specialized training and professional education for water treatment specialists. The lack of realistic, hands-on training and modernized doctrinal education fails to provide the quality education required for this technical specialty. Rectifying this aligns with the goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

The state of ROWPUs and associated distribution equipment is a matter of resilient infrastructure. The need for fleet-wide audits, modernization, and partnerships with equipment manufacturers to improve maintenance and serviceability directly corresponds to the aims of SDG 9, which focuses on building resilient infrastructure and fostering innovation.

Strategic Recommendations for Enhanced Sustainability and Operational Readiness

To mitigate the identified risks and better align with sustainability principles, a multi-tiered approach is required to institutionalize water readiness as a foundational capability.

1. Institutionalize Comprehensive Training and Education:
   • Formally designate water purification as a mission-essential task in training management systems.
   • Incorporate realistic water purification scenarios into all major field exercises and readiness center rotations, validating hands-on proficiency.
   • Modernize professional military education curricula to reflect LSCO requirements, including cross-training with medical and engineering specialists on water security and field testing.
2. Prioritize Equipment Readiness and Modernization:
   • Mandate fleet-wide audits of purification systems to identify and address readiness gaps.
   • Establish partnerships with equipment manufacturers for targeted maintenance training and support.
   • Develop protocols for regional equipment pools to ensure all units have access to functional systems for training purposes.
3. Integrate Water Sustainment into Operational Planning:
   • Ensure water treatment specialists and sustainment planners are included in all phases of operational planning to embed water considerations into support concepts.
   • Provide formal training to staff planners on water support requirements, using doctrinal publications like TB MED 577 as core references.
   • Encourage the development and sharing of TTPs for decentralized purification in contested environments to foster adaptation and resilience.

Conclusion

Water is a critical enabler for military operations, and its provision cannot be assumed in future conflicts. The current atrophy of the 92W Water Treatment Specialist’s skills and equipment presents a decisive vulnerability. Rebuilding this capability through rigorous training, equipment modernization, and doctrinal integration is essential for operational success. Furthermore, this effort strongly aligns with the global commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in ensuring access to clean water (SDG 6), promoting good health (SDG 3), providing quality education (SDG 4), and building resilient infrastructure (SDG 9). Water is the lifeblood of sustainment, and ensuring its availability is a strategic imperative.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  The entire article is centered on the production and provision of safe, potable water. It discusses the role of 92W Water Treatment Specialists, the use of Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units (ROWPUs), and the critical need for “organic water purification” to sustain soldiers in “austere environments.” This directly aligns with the core mission of SDG 6.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  The article explicitly links the availability of clean water to the health of soldiers. It states that without reliable water purification, “medical readiness degrades.” The process of water certification, testing, and maintaining potability standards is fundamentally a public health measure to prevent water-borne diseases, which is a key aspect of SDG 3.

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  A major theme is the “atrophy” of skills among 92W specialists due to a lack of relevant training. The article advocates for institutionalizing “water readiness,” modernizing “professional military education,” and providing “hands-on proficiency” training. This focus on improving technical and vocational skills to meet operational demands connects directly to SDG 4.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The article is a critical analysis of an institution (the U.S. Army) and its operational effectiveness. It identifies a “critical vulnerability” and a “readiness gap” and proposes a “tiered plan of action” to strengthen the institution’s capabilities. The goal is to develop a more effective and resilient military sustainment system, which aligns with the aim of SDG 16 to build effective institutions.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  • Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
    
    Explanation: The article’s primary focus is on ensuring that soldiers, a specific population operating in remote locations, have access to “potable water to sustain the force.” The mission of the 92W specialists is to produce and distribute safe drinking water where none is available, directly reflecting the principle of this target.
  • Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution…
    
    Explanation: The function of the Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units (ROWPUs) is to take “raw water” and treat it to meet potability standards. The article mentions the need to manage “pH (potential hydrogen) levels” and “chlorine residuals,” which are direct actions to improve water quality for safe consumption.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  • Target 3.3: By 2030, end the epidemics of… water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases.
    
    Explanation: The article emphasizes that water must be certified as safe before consumption, as mandated by “Technical Bulletin (Medical) (TB MED) 577.” This process is a preventive measure designed explicitly to avoid outbreaks of water-borne diseases among troops, thus contributing to this target.
  • Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity… for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.
    
    Explanation: By rebuilding the Army’s internal capacity for water purification, the institution is strengthening its ability to manage the significant health risks associated with contaminated water in operational environments. The article frames the lack of this capacity as a “significant threat to operational readiness,” which includes medical readiness.

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  • Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills…
    
    Explanation: The article laments that many 92W specialists “have not conducted water purification operations since initial-entry training” and are “operationally untrained.” It calls for modernizing “professional military education” and incorporating water operations into “METLs, field exercises, and rotations” to build the necessary technical expertise for their roles.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  • Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
    
    Explanation: The article is a call to rectify a systemic failure within a national institution. By proposing measures like “Fleet-wide equipment audits,” updating doctrine, and integrating sustainment into planning, the author aims to make the Army’s sustainment operations more effective and capable of meeting the demands of its mission.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• For SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)

  • Indicator (Explicit): Water quality testing results. The article explicitly mentions the requirement for “Preventive Medicine Certification” and testing water for safety as per “TB MED 577.” It also refers to monitoring “pH (potential hydrogen) levels” and “chlorine residuals,” which are measurable indicators of water quality.
  • Indicator (Implied): Volume of potable water produced and distributed. The article mentions that “distribution has never been managed in hundreds of thousands of gallons,” implying that the volume of water produced is a key metric of operational capacity.
  • Indicator (Implied): Population served by organic water purification. The text notes that “a single purification site can support thousands of Soldiers,” indicating that the number of personnel sustained is a measure of success.

• For SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being)

  • Indicator (Implied): Incidence of water-borne diseases. While not stated with data, the entire purpose of water purification and the reason “medical readiness degrades” without it is to prevent such diseases. A low or zero incidence rate would be the key performance indicator.

• For SDG 4 (Quality Education)

  • Indicator (Implied): Percentage of specialists certified in mission-essential tasks. The article calls for “Validation of hands-on proficiency, comparable in rigor to gunnery tables or combat lifesaver certification,” suggesting that certification rates would be a primary indicator of training effectiveness.
  • Indicator (Implied): Integration of specific training modules into curricula. Progress could be measured by whether water purification is formally designated as a “mission essential task within the Digital Training Management System” and included in field exercises, as recommended.

• For SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

  • Indicator (Implied): Equipment readiness rates. The article points out that purification equipment is often “inoperable” and calls for “Fleet-wide equipment audits.” The percentage of fully mission-capable ROWPUs would be a direct indicator of institutional readiness and effectiveness.
  • Indicator (Implied): Inclusion of water sustainment in operational plans. The recommendation that specialists “participate in pre-deployment surveys, sustainment working groups, and synchronization meetings” implies that the frequency and quality of this integration can be measured to gauge institutional improvement.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: army.mil