Kirkuk Airbase
Kirkuk Airbase is located in northern Iraq approximately 240 kilometers north of Baghdad on the West side of the city of Kirkuk. It is located 1.6 km W of Kirkuk. This former Iraqi military facility is now home to a U.S. Airforce airbase and Army logisitcal hub (FOB Warrior). The airfield is served by two main runways measuring 9,700 and 8,400 feet. It has one 2,800 m asphalt and one 2,325 m graded earth runway; one 2,900 m runway under construction. This formely was a major Iraqi Air Force base with support facilities for at least two fighter squadrons. It is strategically located near the Kirkuk oil fields and the Kirkuk refinery and petrochemical plant.
As of April 2005, there were about 1,000 U.S. Air Force and 2,500 Army personnel stationed at Kirkuk. Another 1,500 people, mostly non-Iraqis, were employed at the base.
According to the "Gulf War Air Power Survey", Kirkuk had 24 hardened aircraft shelters. At the each end of the main runway are Hardened aircraft shelters knowns as "trapezoids" or "Yugos" which were build by Yugoslavian contractors some time prior to 1985. Kirkuk Airbase occupies a 9 square kilometer site and is protected by 12 kilometers of security perimeter.
Camp Renegade
Task Force Ironhorse, 173d Airborne Brigade, based out of Vicenza, Italy secured the oil rich, ethnically diverse city of Kirkuk and surrounding areas in the northern portion of the Task Force area of operations.
In mid-April 2003 the first contingent of the 5th Combat Communications Group communicators stepped off a C-130 on an airbase in Kirkuk, Iraq. The twelve members of this force were to bring state-of-the-art communications to this airbase held by the Iraqi government only weeks before. Only three Air Force aircraft landed previously bringing in the tanker airlift control element. Combat comm had arrived early in the fight. Kirkuk was devastated in the previous weeks by looters taking everything that could be removed. There was no electric power, running water or restrooms, and every glass window in every building was broken. With only two C-130s full of equipment this small group provided DSN, NIPRNET, and SIPRNET services to Air Force personnel. Initial services were provided in a communications café on the compound. The café instantly became the hub of activity on the base as members of every functional area flocked to the café. Airmen took their positions at the NIPRNET and SIPRNET consoles in order to do their work. Also early in the fight, air traffic control and landing systems flowed onto the base. Once sited, a tactical air navigation system was the first system to be set up. In a mere matter of hours the system was up and running through alignments and tests. Following soon after, an MSN-7 mobile tower was set up, providing communications capability to air traffic controllers. Finally, a TPN-19 mobile radar system was sited and installed. This was to be the first operational use of the TPN-19 as an in-route center radar system. The mission is a big change from the typical terminal approach control normally conducted with the TPN-19. In route or air center control was performed across the entire northern part of Iraq, which required the radar and air-ground radios to perform far beyond normal requirements. Kirkuk AB matured quickly the mission grew every day as northern Iraq increasingly depended on this resupply and airpower hub. The communication requirements continually grew and expanded into mission areas not traditionally provided by expeditionary communicators.
Members of the 506th Air Expeditionary Group and the Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade teamed up to educate Kirkuk residents on public health issues, safety and the well-being of the city. Members of the Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams in Kirkuk, have removed and destroyed more than one million pounds of ordnance.
Contractors worked into the evening to complete a dormitory that will house up to 1,664 airmen in 13 buildings with six to eight people to a room. Each dorm will feature its own latrine with 14 sinks, eight toilets and eight showers. The new dorms were scheduled to open 01 December 2003. The units were originally purchased by U.S. Air Forces in Europe and earmarked for construction at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, for Operation Northern Watch.
Task Force 1-63, provided medical treatment to detainees at Camp Renegade, Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq, in November 2003. 64th Military Police Company operated at Camp Renegade, the 173rd Airborne Brigade's Collection Facility inside Kirkuk Air Base, during late 2003.
FOB Warrior/Camp Warrior
Nearly a year after parachuting into enemy territory, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was relieved of its area of operations by the 2nd Brigade Combat Team "Warriors", 25th Infantry Division, on 19 February 2004 during a transfer of authority ceremony. The facility was renamed after that unit.
Located just outside the city of Kirkuk, about 140 miles north of Baghdad, Kirkuk Air Base is situated in the center of 2nd Brigade Combat Team's area of operations, starting February 2004.
To many Soldiers from the 2nd BCT supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom II it is home. Task Force 1-21 Infantry and support elements from 2nd BCT, including the brigade's headquarters were stationed here, where they conducted operations here and inside Kirkuk. When their duty day was completed, they rested and slept in four-person containers. The containers were an improvement from living in outdoor hooches and provided some measure of privacy and insulation against harsh weather elements. The containers are themselves equipped with a heater, air conditioner and electricity."
An AAFES exchange, gift shop, alterations and dry cleaning services, barber shops, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Taco Bell, internet and phone facilities, Green Beans Coffee Shop, pool, beauty parlor, a 24-hour gym, shuttle bus service, a dining facility that can seat up to 1,600 patrons and the Clamtina club provide a variety of entertainment and accommodations for the Soldiers and Airmen residing here.
Everyday, hundreds of Third Country Nationals (TCNs) with their vehicles enter FOB Warrior. A large number of TCNs work on base construction projects while the rest are employed for life support activities such as linguist, laundry, barber, tailor, and the like. Due to the current force protection stance, it is necessary to search every TCN and vehicle that enters the FOB. In addition, all TCNs must be escorted throughout the FOB (the TCN escort mission is manning intensive that required the battery to be augmented by other Soldiers in the brigade). It is imperative that Soldiers escorting these TCNs are rotated. If not, familiarity and closeness between Soldiers and TCNs can develop, which can be dangerous. TCNs can be a tool for the enemy in gathering intelligence. For instance, a TCN may ask about a rocket attack last night on the FOB and may show genuine concern. The unsuspecting escort, due to his familiarity with the TCN, may pass critical information, such as impact location, casualties, etc. Unknowingly, the Soldier just gave the TCN an accurate damage assessment. If this information is passed to the enemy, they can fire or adjust fire from the same firing position since they have been made aware of their firing effectiveness from last night. The friendliest TCNs are the ones wanting information. However, escorts must be reminded to treat all TCNs with respect and dignity. TCNs also serve as an important tool to our IO campaign. TCNs work on base and live off post.
Closely related to the TCN escort mission is the defense of the only TCN access gate onto the FOB. Although FOB Warrior is primarily defended by the Air Force Security Forces, the HQ platoon has taken ownership of defending this gate. At any given morning, close to 600 TCNs and 200 vehicles enter the FOB through this gate. When the outgoing unit transferred the TCN escort mission to the battery, U.S. forces immediately saw the need to improve the defense of the TCN access gate. The enemy has been targeting local nationals working with or supporting coalition forces. The presences of an Iraqi National Guard compound just down the road makes this gate an even more lucrative target.
To counter the VBIED threat FOB Warrior had installed a second drop arm from the main gate. This provided a 200-meter blast stand off. In addition, a 30-foot guard tower was built to over watch gate operations and all avenues of approach.
There is a 40-bed hospital tent facility at Forward Operating Base Warrior. As of September 2005, the staff consisted of four doctors and four physician assistants with the 116th Brigade Combat Team. Serious injuries, requiring more than three days of care, means the soldier gets shipped out to Germany or the States for care there.
Krabtown
The mission of the 506th Air Expeditionary Group is to facilitate the reconstruction, operation and maintenance of Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and other US CENTCOM contingency plans. Kirkuk is a key element in the coalition effort of the reconstruction of Iraq. Kirkuk Regional Air Base also serves as a logistical hub for US Army and Special Operation Forces. In addition, the 506 AEG provides ground-based military air warning and control, and civil ATC services for all of northern Iraq.
Airmen with the 506th Expeditionary Communications Squadron have installed more than 45,000 feet of cable to 55 facilities at Kirkuk Air Base to support telephone and computer network communications for deployed forces.
It was out with the old and in with the new at the Sand Blaster Fitness Center with the replacement of 24 pieces of fitness equipment in February 2006. The fitness center replaced 8 treadmills, 8 cross-trainers, 1 stair-stepper, 2 stationary bikes and 5 recumbent bikes.
“The equipment was deteriorating,” said Tech. Sgt. Dan Borca, fitness center NCOIC. “The belts on the treadmills were worn out and the condition of the other equipment was less than satisfactory.”
Most of the fitness center staff have received training on how to be personal trainers. In addition, the staff can help people reach their fitness goals, such as weight loss.
The Sand Blaster consists of two modular buildings near the cantonment area. One building holds cardiovascular training equipment, a room equipped with bikes for spin class and a room with mats, for the very popular “ab” class. The second building houses weight machines and weights to increase muscular fitness. The fitness center is able to accommodate all fitness regimens.
The base has a bus shuttle service that picks up passengers every 15 minutes at each stop.
Recreation center ‘Clamtina’ is open 24-hours a day. KRAB Buster Video offers soldiers the opportunity to watch the latest feature films, while the video store has over 600 DVDs for rental. A cybercafé is open 24 hours a day and has eight computers and nine moral phones. The ‘Oasis Library’ is open all day, everyday. Kirkuk Airbase also has a base chapel.
