By Capt. Tamara Gonzales, USA
NTM-A
Afghanistan infrastructure is changing across the country as Afghans and coalition partners join together building bases for the Afghan National Army.
One such location is Shoreback where Afghans are working shoulder to shoulder with a Turkish contracting company and the U.S. to build the 215th Corps Regional Military Training Center and the corps’ headquarters building.
“We’re building capabilities, that’s the big thing with the corps,” said Command Sgt. Maj. John Werner, command sergeant major for the Afghan Engineer District South, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“We are also mentoring and training them so they can take care of what is built,” said Werner, referring to the Department of Public Works facility currently being built.
The facility will be operated by Afghans trained as plumbers and electricians enabling them to maintain what they build.
The joint mission also includes a physical education center, soccer fields and office buildings plus arms-vault buildings nearing completion and a recently upgraded ceremonial location, Fire Hall.
Construction continues as contractors working with Afghans set a record of building an entire semi-permanent camp within six months for the 7th Commandos. This is significant in order to keep up with the pace of rapid growth of the Afghan National Army, said Maj. Patrick Suerman, the Camp Bastian Corps’ engineer contract representative.
The newly constructed camp include seven barracks housing up to 120 soldiers, a dining facility, a medical clinic, a headquarters building and an embedded training team compound where soldiers can conduct weapons training.
This rapidly-constructed, high-quality facility will serve as a springboard for more units needing a camp to call home.
“The commandos put in a long day of training, when they’re finished they should have a place they can call home and from which to fight,” said Don Wilson, the Environmental Chemical Corporation’s construction site manager. “These guys are warfighters. When they come back from a mission they need a place to relax, knowing everything will work.”
Another type of camp is a temporary camp referred to as a Kandak. For example, the camp located near Kabul International Airport that includes 28 tents large enough to house 24 soldiers.
The housing is meant for temporary lodging for newly fielded units until they can move to a more permanent site. Again, this facility is being built for Afghans, by Afghans.
“Our hope is to have all this Afghan built,” said Suerman.
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