It takes a lot more equipment than bombers, tanks, and rifles to fight a war against terrorism. In fact, some of the United States military's most useful equipment in its counterterrorism efforts has proven to be skid-steer loaders and compact excavators, along with various attachments. "Since September 11 [2001], we have delivered a substantial number of Bobcat loaders, compact excavators, and attachments to various branches of the Department of Defense," reports Gerald J. Cardon, government sales manager at Bobcat Company in West Fargo, ND.

"Because of the urgency of the need for the equipment, it has all been flown out of the United States on military air cargo planes from various locations throughout the US," he says.

The loaders, excavators, and attachments are performing a number of support tasks for US soldiers operating on the ground. "The military has discovered that our machines can be extremely useful in loading and unloading applications, as well as in reconstruction and in preparation of operating sites in the field," notes Cardon. "For example, the pallet fork attachment–a staple on ordinary civilian construction sites–can also be extremely vital for lifting and moving tools, pallets of field material, and more. The movement of loose materials, bundles, and pallets of construction materials is greatly facilitated with the compact skid-steer loader." Other onsite military tasks for Bobcat machines include installing security fencing, shelters, and coverings and excavating for utilities and drainage and related site preparation work.

"The skid-steer loader goes in fast and does its work quickly," states Cardon. "With multiple attachments, it is an extremely versatile piece of equipment. You can use one power unit and switch attachments to meet the needs of a variety of applications."

Just as Bobcat equipment has proven invaluable in the private sector in reducing manual labor and speeding up the construction process, the same machines are just as useful for military operations. "The military has the same need," he points out. "And that need is to reduce the time it takes for soldiers to accomplish their work–to make them more efficient.

"And because of their small size, Bobcat loaders can be moved easily. They can even be moved by helicopter to provide soldiers with an immediately available, multifunctional machine anywhere in the field."

In addition to equipment, Bobcat Company has supplied the military with the necessary operator training to achieve better efficiency in its field mission. "An operator quickly adapts himself to the operation of the machine," says Cardon. "Very little time is needed to become proficient in the operation of the product."

GEC - November/December 2002