Joint effort stands up Iraqi air base

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  • By Master Sgt. Scott Elliott
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON --  The Army said it was "austere." The Air Force called it "downright primitive."

Regardless of the description, commanders on both sides agree the effort to turn an Iraqi air base into a coalition operations hub has been one of the finest examples of teamwork seem so far during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Air Force Col. John Dobbins and Army Brig. Gen. Jack Stoltz described their experiences at a forward air base in Tallil, Iraq, to reporters at the Pentagon via satellite April 17. Dobbins is commander of the 392nd Air Expeditionary Group, and Stoltz is deputy commanding general of the 377th Theater Support Command.

"One of the great things about the operation at Tallil is it really was an example of jointness working," Stoltz said. "We each had our area of expertise and responsibility. Together, within 48 hours, we had planes landing and convoys of trucks coming through the gate."

The division of labor, Stoltz said, had the Air Force responsible for bringing the airfield up to operational standards, and the Army providing security and establishing a logistics center, complete with maintenance and life support systems.

Army forces reached Tallil, near the town of An Nasiryah in southern Iraq, the day after the ground war began, setting up perimeter security, and locating and removing unexploded ordnance. When the first airmen arrived shortly thereafter, a team examined the airfield to ensure the runways could support coalition aircraft.

"They made sure the runway was operable and started communications, instrument approach procedures and an air traffic control tower to open the airfield to mobility assets," Dobbins said.

Follow-on forces were added later to beef up aircraft fueling and maintenance capability, as well as improve the command, control and communications structure, the colonel said.

Tallil was originally commandeered so the coalition could provide lethal combat air power to the war effort and to provide theater airlift and combat search and rescue support from a forward location, Dobbins said.

"We've done that well," Dobbins said. "Part of what that did was enable the A-10 Thunderbolt to get an extra hour over target areas, because they didn't have to fly as far to get to the target."

Dobbins said the operational highpoint came at 50 combat sorties per day, in addition to rescue missions. The Tallil facility also enables coalition forces to receive air cargo directly from the United States and Europe.

The airmen and soldiers have had to overcome many physical obstacles to achieve their success, the commanders said.

"This is a relatively austere environment," Stoltz said. "There is no local electricity, water or sewage system."

According to the general, American troops are using their own generators to provide electricity and are using "burn-out" latrines (barrels that collect human waste that are burned at the end of each day). Shower facilities were recently added, so troops no longer have to depend solely on sponge baths for personal hygiene.

"Tallil, as an air base, started with an excellent core -- two long runways with parallel taxiways and three relatively large ramp areas," Dobbins said. "But, if the Army's telling you it's austere, that means it's downright primitive for the Air Force. Beyond the runways, there wasn't a lot here."

But it is getting better, Dobbins said, as more support assets arrive, such as Harvest Falcon tent cities, more showers, laundry and dining facilities. The colonel said he expects the Air Force population of Tallil to grow to about 2,000.

Dobbins said the Air Force would probably operate an airfield in northern Iraq to support operations there, in addition to maintaining Tallil. The location of the next air base will depend on a number of things, including intact airfield facilities and other considerations such as population density, he said.

"We don't necessarily want to impose upon the Iraqi people a huge military presence in a civilian neighborhood," Dobbins said. "We'll try to be good neighbors to the Iraqi people by trying to locate our operations where they'll have minimal impact on the local population."

Besides military aircraft, the colonel said radar equipment is being set up at Tallil so civilian humanitarian assistance can soon begin flying in.

"Just because hostilities have decreased in intensity, that doesn't necessarily mean our operational tempo is decreasing," he said. "As a matter of fact, we are giving 24/7 flying capability out of Tallil. It's not over 'till it's over."