Bagram, an old Russian air facility, now houses some 30,000 U.S. Army, Air Force and NATO personnel. The base has always been seen as the hub of the current and future American military presence in Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $14.2 million contract to a Turkish company to construct an eight-building barracks complex for troops. The facility is expected to house more than 1,200 personnel, and it’s not scheduled to be completed until the fall of 2013, one year before the Afghan army is scheduled to take over security across the country.
Other Bagram construction projects have either just been completed, or are still being lined up.
In March, construction was completed on an $18 million two-bay hangar for C-130 transport planes at Bagram, almost two years after it was begun. The hangar is approximately 60,000 square feet.
“This facility will help boost the C-130 sortie rate and mission performance by allowing maintenance to continue working during inclement weather,” said the colonel in charge of the transport unit.
Last month, meantime, a pre-solicitation notice went out for a new “Entry Control Point” at Bagram that is expected to cost more than $5 million and take a year to finish, which would put completion into late 2012.
In an interview last month with the Daily Iowegian, Lt. Col. John Perkins, whose Iowa National Guard unit has provided support at Bagram since November 2010, said addition space for buildings would be needed.
#1 by funky d on June 30, 2011 - 1:29 am
bagram is far worse than guantanamo in the way it treats muslims it kidnaps from other countries. hard to believe but its true. in bagram they have plenty of women being raped and tortured. for example aafia siddiqui was raped and tortured for obver 7 years, two of her children also may have been tortured and were missing for 7 years, her youngest child is still missing, probably killed by those BAST***S. this all before her farce of a trial and conviction in the so called land of the free and the brave. should be re-named THE LAND OF THE OPPRESSED AND COWARDS, AS CONTROLLED BY THE JEWISH TERRORISTS.
#2 by Ingrid B. on June 30, 2011 - 1:31 am
yep, doesn`t sound as though they plan to leave, ever.. Do the people of Afghanistan know about all this, or is Karzai keeping them “in the dark”?
#3 by amerikagulag on June 30, 2011 - 2:43 pm
The plan was NEVER to leave. It was to occupy. Occupation forces never leave. And this one won’t leave as long as the opium poppy fields still grow. Drugs s and War. It’s what the Rothschilds want.