Only few are better at providing water, food, power and shelter to personnel living in harsh conditions than the US Army. Much of the support Phoenix H2O is providing has historically been trucked in from large bases in the rear. This means convoys of vehicles moving supplies forward and waste rearwards – easy targets for attack. To reduce the threat to these ‘soft targets’ of resupply convoys, local resources must be used whenever possible and the need for moving supplies back and forth minimized. This means that water and power have to sourced close to the point of use and that back load of waste must be avoided. These requirements prompted the US DOD, through the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) to develop innovative modular systems that can produce drinking water from local sea, surface water or ground water. These systems can derive their own power from renewable energy sources (solar and wind), hence reducing liquid and solid waste by recycling water for reuse and destroying black water (human waste) locally.