Bagram Air Base

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bagram Air Base


Air Force One sits at Bagram Air Base
IATA: none – ICAO: OAIX
Summary
Airport type Military
Operator United States Army
Location Bagram, Afghanistan
Elevation AMSL 4,895 ft / 1,492 m
Coordinates 34°56′46″N 069°15′54″E / 34.94611, 69.265
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
03/21 3,003 9,852 Concrete
03/21 3,500 11,852 Concrete

Bagram Air Base (ICAO: OAIX) is a militarized airport and housing complex that is located next to the ancient city of Bagram, southeast of Charikar in Parwan province of Afghanistan. The base is currently occupied and maintained by the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army, with the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing of the United States Air Force and other U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and coalition partner units having sizeable tenant populations . It is speculated that the military of the United States will remain at Bagram for many years to come.[1]

Bagram Air Base has three large hangars, a control tower, and numerous support buildings. There are over 32 acres (130,000 m²) of ramp space and five aircraft dispersal areas, with a total of over 110 revetments. Many support buildings and base housing built by the Soviets were destroyed by years of fighting between the various warring Afghan factions. However, new barracks and office buildings are slowly being constructed at the present time. There is also a detention center at Bagram Air Base, which has been criticized in the past for its alleged abusive treatment of prisoners.[2]

The ICAO ID is OAIX and it is specifically at 34.944N, 69.259E at around 1500 m above sea level. The base had a single 3003 m (9852 ft) runway built in 1976. A new 3.5-kilometre long runway was built and completed by the United States in late 2006, at a cost of 68 million US dollars. This new runway is 2000 feet longer than the previous one and is 11 inches thicker, which gives it the ability to handle larger aircraft if necessary, such as the C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III or the Boeing 747.[3]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Communist era

Bagram Air Base played a key role during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989, serving as a base of operations for troops and supplies. Bagram was also the initial staging point for the invading Soviet forces at the beginning of the conflict, with a number of airborne divisions being deployed there. Aircraft based at Bagram, including the 368th Assault Aviation Regiment flying Su-25s, provided close air support for Soviet and Afghan troops in the field. The 368th Assault Aviation Regiment was stationed at Bagram from October 1986 to November 1987.[4] Some of the Soviet land forces based at Bagram included the 108th Motor Rifle Division and the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment of the 105th Airborne Division.

[edit] Civil War era

Destroyed aircraft line the runway in early 2002, in what was called the "Bagram aircraft petting zoo".
Destroyed aircraft line the runway in early 2002, in what was called the "Bagram aircraft petting zoo".

Following the withdrawal of the Soviet forces and the rise of the Mujahideen, Afghanistan plunged into civil war. Control of the base was contested from 1999 onward between the Northern Alliance and Taliban, often with each controlling territory on opposing ends of the base. Taliban forces were consistently within artillery and mortar range of the field, denying full possession of the strategic facility to the Northern Alliance. Press reports indicated that at times a Northern Alliance general was using the bombed-out control tower as an observation post and as a location to brief journalists, with his headquarters nearby.

Reports also indicated that Northern Alliance rocket attacks on Kabul had been staged from Bagram, possibly with Russian-made FROG-7 Rockets. Taliban attacks on the airbase included mortar attacks and airstrikes using cluster bombs.

[edit] US and allied forces

A-10 ground support fighters taxiing on Bagram runways.
A-10 ground support fighters taxiing on Bagram runways.

During the U.S-led invasion of Afghanistan the base was secured by a team from the British Special Boat Service. By early December 2001 troops from the 10th Mountain Division shared the base with Special Operations Command officers from MacDill Air Force Base in Florida and soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg. The British force consisted of Bravo and Charlie Companies from 40 Commando Royal Marines, based in Taunton, Somerset. As of mid-December 2001 more than 300 American troops, mainly with the 10th Mountain Division, were providing force protection at Bagram. The troops patrolled the base perimeter, guarded the front gate, and cleared the runway of explosive ordnance. As of early January 2002 the number of 10th Mountain Division troops had grown to about 400 soldiers.

As of late January 2002, there were somewhat over 4,000 US troops in Afghanistan, of which about 3,000 were at Kandahar airport, and about 500 were stationed at Bagram Air Base. The runway was repaired by US, Italian and Polish military personnel.

As of mid-June 2002, Bagram Air Base was serving as home to more than 7,000 U.S. and multinational armed services working together in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Numerous tent areas house the troops based there, including one named Viper City.

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter taking off at Bagram Air Base in 2007.
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter taking off at Bagram Air Base in 2007.

By November 2003 B-huts were replacing the standard shelter option for troops. There were several hundred, with plans to build close to 800 of them. The plans were to have nearly 1,200 structures built by 2006, but completion of the project was expected much earlier; possibly by July 2004. The increased construction fell under US Central Command standards of temporary housing and allowed for the building of B-huts on base, not to show permanence, but to raise the standard for troops serving here. The wooden structures have no concrete foundation thus not considered permanent housing, just an upgrade from the tents, the only option Bagram personnel and troops had seen previously. The small homes offer troops protection from environmental conditions including wind, snow, sand and cold. On average, B-huts house up to 8 people, as does the majority housing option, the tent.

By 2007 Bagram has become the size of a small town, with traffic jams, many commercial shops selling everything from clothes to food. The base itself is situated high up in the mountains and sees temperatures drop to -20. Due to the height and snow storms commercial aircraft have difficulty landing older aircraft and often rely on very experienced crews to land there.

[edit] 2007 Bagram Air Base bombing

Main article: 2007 Bagram Air Base bombing
 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.


[edit] Bagram Theater Internment Facility

Main article: Bagram Theater Internment Facility

Bagram Air Base is the main detention facility for persons detained by US forces in Afghanistan.[5]

The detention facility has housed as many as 500 enemy combatants who are mostly held in a building deep in the heart of the base.[5] The detainees have included senior members of Al-Qaeda and suspected Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. In July 2005, about 450 suspected militants were being detained there.[6] Apart from US military and intelligence personnel, the only people officially allowed inside the prison building are Red Cross representatives who inspect the facility once every two weeks.[7]

The Detention Center at Bagram has been heavily criticized for its alleged abusive treatment of prisoners.[2] In 2005 the New York Times reported that two detainees had been beaten to death by guards in December 2002.[8] Amnesty International has used the word "torture" to describe treatment at the detention center.[9]

Many of the officers and soldiers interviewed by US Army investigators in the subsequent criminal investigation said the large majority of detainees at Bagram were compliant and reasonably well treated.[8] However, some interrogators routinely administered harsh treatment which included alleged beatings, sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation, shackling to ceilings, and threats with guard dogs.[8] Amnesty International has criticized the US government for using dogs at the detention center at Bagram Air Base.[10]

In July 2005 four suspected Al-Qaeda militants escaped from Bagram detention center.[6]

[edit] Gallery

Special meeting in July 2007 at one of the hangars in Bagram Air Base

C-17 Globemaster III at Bagram Air Base

Special visit in October 2007 by U.S. Navy Admiral and the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Michael Mullen

Special visit in July 2007 by United States Deputy Secretary of Defense, Gordon R. England

Special visit in July 2005 by the 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Peter Pace

UFC fighters at Bagram Air Base in 2007

Pro-wrestler Paul Wight of WWE at Bagram Air Base in December 2005

American country music singer Michael Peterson at Bagram Air Base in November 2006

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ 6 years later, US expands Afghan base, JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer.
  2. ^ a b Summarized transcripts (.pdf), from Mohammed Sulaymon Barre's Combatant Status Review Tribunal
  3. ^ Bagram Airfield opens $68 million runway
  4. ^ Frank Rozendaal, Rene van Woezik and Tieme Festner, 'Bear tracks in Germany: The Soviet Air Force in the former German Democratic Republic: Part 1, Air International, October 1992, p.210
  5. ^ a b "Bagram: US base in Afghanistan", BBC, 2007-02-27. 
  6. ^ a b "Afghanistan: Manhunt Continues For Four Suspected Al-Qaeda Fighters", Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 2005-07-12. 
  7. ^ US detention related to the events of 11 September 2001 and its aftermath – the role of the ICRC
  8. ^ a b c Golden, Tim. "In U.S. Report, Brutal Details of 2 Afghan Inmates' Deaths", New York Times, 2005-05-20. Retrieved on 2007-08-16. 
  9. ^ Amnesty International Annual Report
  10. ^ Amnesty International Annual Report

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: