Machine used in Operation Epic Fury turns air into drinking water for troops

(NewsNation) — Safe drinking water was a critical need for U.S. troops at the time. Operation Epic Rageand one company’s technology has proven to be a game changer.

The WaterCube device developed by Genesis Systems produces drinking water from air. The system converts atmospheric moisture into drinking water for military use and other applications.

Air National Guard officer David Stuckenberg told NewsNation that WaterCube played a crucial role during Operation Epic Fury.

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“There was a hypothesis that was being developed, and so the systems were on stage for testing, that they could change the supply chain and really transform defense logistics,” said Stuckenberg, who is also co-founder and president of Genesis Systems. “By accident and fate we were attacked, and this hypothesis turned out to be correct.”

Stuckenberg said the idea for WaterCube emerged while he was stationed at Al Udeid Air Base in 2016, when he realized Qatar’s just-in-time water supply chain could be vulnerable to attack.

“During Epic Fury, we saw Iran target multiple desalination plants in the Middle East,” he said, adding that water infrastructure could be used as a strategic weapon.

The vulnerability stems largely from the centralized nature of many water systems, Stuckenberg said.

“Think of it as a single point of failure,” he said. “Water from WaterCube allows us to distribute that resource. That’s our mission as a company: to ensure that every business and every man, woman and child in the United States has an uninterrupted water supply. And that water is made from the air around us.”

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Genesis Systems recently received government funding to continue developing atmospheric water production technology for military use. The company is also exploring ways to use technology to provide safe drinking water to vulnerable communities.

WaterCube systems currently support approximately 750,000 people on five continents.

The World Economic Forum recently identified air-to-water technology as one of five key innovations that could help shape the future, according to Stuckenberg.

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