Photo By Sgt. Matthew Nedved | (From left) Maj. Troy Ness, 1st Lt. Lucas Scheibe and Lt. Col. Todd Goldammer, all...... read more read more
CAMP EGGERS, Afghanistan – For U.S and coalition forces stationed in Kabul, executing their mission to support the counterinsurgency strategy is a key to future stability and security for the nation’s capital. Ensuring they have what they need to do the job is a key for members of the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Dakota Army National Guard.
As the new Kabul Base Cluster Installation Command, the 196th provides sustainment support for nearly 9,000 U.S and coalition forces stationed throughout 11 military bases in the city.
One of the main efforts for this support comes from the 196th's base support group at Camp Eggers. These soldiers provide support for tenant units on the camp in multiple areas; from administration and logistical support to building oversight, maintenance and service contracts.
The 16-member BSG team is working with military forces, local Afghan workers and civilian contractors to facilitate daily operations on Camp Eggers. They also work closely with the other camps within the KBC to help sustain their on-going missions.
“One thing we are looking to do is take contracts throughout the KBC and streamline them into one master contract – in order to make it more cost efficient,” said Lt. Col. Todd Goldammer, BSG Eggers officer in charge.
One challenge for the Camp Eggers staff, is addressing is the vast number of personnel on camp. With the base originally configured to support a population of approximately 1,300, finding room to accommodate the more than 2,000 people currently there, with the existing infrastructure, presents a bigger challenge.
“There is a constant flow of people in and out of this little facility – we have two major roads and it looks like New York City on a busy day when things are active,” said Goldammer, of Sioux Falls, S.D. “It’s a lot of moving parts, everybody is going everywhere and we need to make sure it’s managed effectively.”
Although Camp Eggers is located in a heavily populated area of Kabul with a large amount of traffic, access to the camp is very restricted and heavily guarded. There are many levels of force protection from private security contractors to U.S. and coalition forces. Goldammer says this is important for peace of mind for troops stationed there. Although the force protection is strong, he says there is still room for improvement.
“I want to improve base force protection measures because of the increase in troop living and working spaces. We need these things to ensure our service members have the best protection possible,” said Goldammer.
Another challenge the Eggers team is working on is finding room in the confined camp area. There is a steady flow of new troops arriving on the Eggers compound. With little office space limited living areas; soldiers are living three to an area in order to make room for everyone, with some sleeping in tents or other temporary facilities.
“We are still seeing a surge of new residents coming in here. We are trying to build as quickly as we can to accommodate them,” Goldammer said. “Having the right amount of space is important to the service members, so it’s important to us and getting it in place as soon as we can.”
Currently, 10 building contracts on Camp Eggers are underway, with another 15 more waiting to begin.
One of the main goals for Camp Eggers is to expand the facility in order to expand the mission, such as facilities to teach the local Afghans to read and write. Also, a larger area would mean more space for the tenants to work and sleep.
“More office space would make things more comfortable for all of the tenants, we are looking at spaces for more gyms, but that means we are taking away from something else,” Goldammer said. “Our goal by the time we leave is the camp will be built-up and more comfortable for the tenants, along with improved force protection, more defenses and smoother access in for visitors.”
The Eggers BSG is also hoping to start integrating the local Afghan workers and the Afghan National Army alongside U.S. and coalition forces – providing them with better training and a full understanding of their job when they are ready to take over base responsibilities when American forces leave.
“Trying to stand up the Afghan forces and train them so they can protect their country and take over – that is the main mission here in Afghanistan and for us,” said Goldammer.
| Date Taken: | 07.16.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.16.2010 00:32 |
| Story ID: | 52904 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 1,166 |
| Downloads: | 145 |
This work, Camp Eggers base support group works to support troops, by SGT Matthew Nedved, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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