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Commander, 1st Naval Construction Announces Battle "E" Winners

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS101223-02
12/23/2010

By Daryl Smith, Commander, 1st Naval Construction Division Public Affairs

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- The 1st Naval Construction Division (1NCD) announced the winners of the 2010 Battle "E" Award Dec. 21 in Virginia Beach, Va.

The Battle "E" Award recognizes outstanding operational performance.

The recipients of the Battle "E" Award for 1NCD are as follows:

Atlantic Fleet:
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 (Active)
NMCB 14 (Reserve)

Pacific Fleet:
NMCB 4 (Active)
NMCB 18 (Reserve)

"Competition for the Battle 'E' this year was exceptionally close, highlighting the superb performance of naval construction forces in meeting the continually elevated demands of today's operational environment," said Rear Adm. Mark A. Handley, commander, 1NCD. "Both active and reserve component units provided outstanding support of worldwide combatant commander requirements."

Seabees provided a wide range of critical construction support in 2010, including doubling their forces in Afghanistan as part of the surge and responding to the earthquake in Haiti.

NMCB 133 deployed 600 Seabees from Gulfport, Miss., to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan in March 2010. Unlike most Seabee deployments, they did not relieve another battalion, but served as the first in a line of surge engineering units to support the initial operating capability. The battalion executed more than 45,000 project man-days of construction valued at more than $200 million. In total, they executed more than 400 construction projects, including 1.6 million square meters of forward operating base (FOB) expansions.

Based in Jacksonville, Fla., NMCB 14 provided 28,750 man-days of construction support and 5,900 man-days of skills training. They constructed a handicapped accessible beach ramp in Mayport, Fla. The battalion increased its readiness by 28 percent and maintained 100 percent gear accountability. The unit was also noted for its superior advancement rates and training programs.

Originally slated for a deployment to the Pacific Command Area of Responsibility, NMCB 4 quickly shifted focus when the president called for a surge of military engineers into Afghanistan. Their efforts were vital to the surge of more than 7,000 troops and 70 helicopters into Northern Afghanistan. They completed more than 100 projects and 400 acres of FOB and combat outpost (COP) expansions. NMCB 4 also performed the largest earth-moving operation by a single battalion since World War II during the construction of Deh Dadi II, a 300-acre FOB in Northern Afghanistan.

Based in Fort Lewis, Wash., and drawing personnel from 22 states, NMCB 18 deployed to Northwestern Afghanistan in July 2010, where they were cited for improving the operational environment and quality of life under Task Force Endurance and Task Force Keystone. They expended more than 76,000 man-days, including 80 projects valued at more than $34 million.

"My congratulations to the Seabees of NMCB 133, NMCB 14, NMCB 4 and NMCB 18. Your efforts in support of our supported commanders globally exemplified the Seabee 'can-do' tradition and ethos of our force," said Handley.