30 NCR Coordinates Construction of COP for 13th MEU
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS070620-05
Release Date: 6/20/2007 8:11:00 AM
By Lt.j.g. Christopher Wald, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 28 Public Affairs
AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq (NNS) -- Just days ago, this area was nothing more than an open stretch of desert -- a barren landscape dotted with a few abandoned and battle-scarred buildings that were once used by the infamous Iraqi Republican Guard. Today, the scenery has changed and includes a fortified Combat Outpost (COP) now supporting as many as 600 Marines from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The COP was completed June 12 and is the result of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force’s (II MEF) need to establish a presence in an area where insurgents were operating with minimal interference from coalition force occupation. To accomplish this, II MEF needed a secure area from which to base their operations.
The 30th Naval Construction Regiment (30 NCR) was tasked by II MEF to plan and construct a facility that would support this need. The regiment then tasked Marine 8th Engineering Support Battalion (8th ESB) as the lead and Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCB) 28 and 4 as support for construction of the COP.
Approximately 160 Marines and 30 Seabees combined their resources, skills and expertise to rapidly establish the camp consisting of 52 general purpose (GP) medium tents, five Southwest Asia (SWA) huts, 15 “four-hole burnout” head facilities, six shower tents, six high capacity generators and 120 air conditioning units. The synergy born of this cooperative effort resulted in the entire COP being completed in just slightly more than a week.
Making the project even more impressive is the incredible amount of effort that went into force protection measures. According to Marine Maj. Bruce Erhardt, 8th ESB’s Engineer Support Company commander, more than 2.5 miles of 10-foot berms were built around the perimeter of the COP to provide protection against sniper attacks.
In addition, more than one mile of Hesco barriers (a modular, penetration-resistant barrier system that is filled with sand) were placed around the tents and SWA huts to protect them from mortar and rocket blasts. Observation towers were placed near entry control points and other strategic locations to monitor any potential enemy activity in the vicinity.
“This is what we do well; build facilities and bases for forward-deployed forces and give them a secure location where they are positioned to carry out their mission,” said Capt. Kate Gregory, commodore for 30 NCR. “This was a total team effort from the top down, and I’m proud but not surprised that this team of Marine and Seabee professionals was able to complete this project so efficiently.”
Cmdr. Craig Scharton, the commanding officer of NMCB 28, added, “The seamless integration of personnel and assets for NMCB 28 and 8th ESB demonstrates on a local level the interoperability of the Navy and Marine Corps forces, providing a real example of the 'one team-one fight' concept.”
The efficiency demonstrated by NMCB 28 and 8th ESB during this operation is extremely important to 30 NCR in order to continue managing, tasking and directing engineering forces in direct support of II MEF’s multiple key operations to combat insurgency in Al Anbar Province.
“The Seabee-Marine relation ship works like a charm,” said Senior Chief Builder Alonso Cadena, 30 NCR future projects chief. “On one hand we have the construction skills of NMCB 28 Seabees and on the other the aggressiveness of 8th ESB. When we combine the two, we get a contingency construction force that will essentially build anytime, anywhere and in very arduous conditions.”
NMCB 28, 30 NCR and 8th ESB and are part of nearly 1,100 Sailors and Marines supporting critical construction efforts in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq.
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