DRASH DRASH ( Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter ) is a portable , geodesic shelter that can be set up within minutes of arriving on site with no special tools . The structure is supported by composite struts . DHS Systems LLC handles all the manufacturing , maintenance , training and sales for these shelters . Design . DRASH shelters have footprints from up to . Each DRASH shelter comes with flooring and ground covers manufactured from polyester and nylon to US military standards . DRASH also provides generators and trailers plus various accessories for the shelters themselves . Several of these accessories can be used to link shelters together . For transport or storage , the shelters pack down to less than 2 % of its deployed size into a transport bag that can be stowed on a trailer or HMMWV . Teams of four to six can easily erect a shelter simply by pulling on the sides of the shelter and raising the shelter in designated " push points " on the shelter . History . DHS Systems founder and CEO A . Jon Prusmack began building DRASH shelters more than 20 years ago after being inspired by pop - up geodesic domes he came across at trade shows . He founded the company in 1984 and DRASH shelters quickly started to be purchased by military units for use as command posts , tactical operations centers , communications centers , battalion aid stations , and forward surgical support stations . In 2004 , the Carlyle Group invested in DHS Systems and formed its new parent company DHS Technologies . In 2009 , it was reported that the company was working on a line of shelters that better matched power supply to demand . The company also plans to begin incorporating a new energy efficient insulation barrier , insect repellents and a shelter that can protect sensitive equipment from electro - magnetic signals and radio frequency interference . Military use . The United States Military and NATO are using DRASH shelters in place of the various tents and shelters used in the past . The Department of Defense has awarded DRASH several contracts . Most notably , in 2008 , the U . S . Army contracted DRASH manufacturer DHS Systems and Northrop Grumman Corporation to provide a family of trailer - mounted support systems under its Standard Integrated Command Post System ( SICPS ) program . Under the contract , DHS is manufacturing DRASH shelters , while Northrop will be responsible for program management and integrated logistics support . DRASH shelters have been deployed extensively since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan . DRASH is also currently in use with troops stationed around the world , including the Third Army in Kuwait , and Joint Task Force Bravo ' s Mobile Surgical Team in Honduras . DRASH has logistics teams on site in Iraq , Kuwait , Germany and Eastern Europe . These teams do all of the repair and support work for the shelters , generators and trailers . Civilian use . Hurricane Katrina caused a surge of interest in DRASH shelters . In Louisiana , an emergency medical team used a DRASH shelter as a mobile hospital . In Mississippi , DRASH shelters were used as living quarters for the State Police aiding victims of the disaster . Since then , DRASH shelters have been deployed following hurricanes across the Gulf region , as well as for other civilian operations around the country . In 2006 , the state of Connecticut dedicated a DRASH field hospital to a victim of the 2001 anthrax attacks . DRASH shelters were also used by the National Guard during the October 2007 California Wildfires , Middletown ’ s Office of Emergency Management and the state ’ s Department of Public Health following the 2010 Connecticut power plant explosion and Dell Children ' s Medical Center during the 2009 flu pandemic . Additionally , international agencies have purchased DRASH to support emergency response . In the summer of 2009 , the Brazilian State of Rio de Janeiro purchased two DRASH mobile field hospitals to be deployed during large - scale emergencies .