Airmen build new Diyala operations center Published July 13, 2009 BAGHDAD (AFNS) -- Officials from the U.S. Army and Iraqi security forces turned to Airmen of the Detachment 6, 732nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron to build a new operations center outside of the city limits of Baqubah, Iraq. After years of cooperation between Iraqi and U.S. security forces at the Diyala operations center, local Iraqi security forces leaders and U.S. Army leaders of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division agreed to move the center in conjunction with the June 30 deadline for U.S. combat forces to move out of Iraq's cities. Personnel assigned to Det. Six are attached to the Army's 37th Engineer Battalion and Joint Task Force Eagle at Joint Base Balad. The Airmen completed the relocation of the center, which is a combinination of Iraqi and coalition forces located within the Diyala Governance Center. The relocation allows coaliton forces to continue build relationships and work alongside Iraqi security forces against insurgents and violent extremists. "We had to move the DOC from its previous location to Forward Operating Base Lion, and we couldn't get the infrastructure set up fast enough," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Paul Sarat, the 1-25 SBCT's deputy commander. "The Airmen came in and in a matter of days had everything set up to be fully operational, [and] without any loss in continuity. They literally stepped in and took a bunch of empty buildings and turned [them] into a fully functional operations center." For their hard work and help keeping operations in Diyala running smoothly and maintaining the ability colocate and cooperate between Iraqi and coalition leaders, the were presented with certificates of appreciation from Colonel Sarat on behalf of the 1-25 SBCT. Addressing the Airmen before presenting them with their certificates, Colonel Sarat said, "It wasn't just the buildings themselves you were building, it was the infrastructure of the Iraqi army itself as it stands on its own feet and we fall into much more of a mentor role."