By: Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Slaton
TARIN KOWT, Afghanistan – Small teams of Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3’s Det. 4 are deployed to small village stability platforms all throughout Afghanistan improving the quality of life and the efficiency of operations for the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan.
Four of these Seabees have been at Forward Operating Base Ripley since November of 2010. FOB Ripley is a step off platform for VSPs and counterinsurgency operations in the southeast region of Afghanistan.
“This team of Seabees has made a great impact on FOB Ripley. Many of the things we do, we couldn’t have done without their construction support,” said Army Staff Sgt. Jason Hill, the FOB Ripley Mayor.
Some of the work included converting two empty 20-foot shipping containers into mobile medical units that had insulated walls, ceiling and electrical wiring that provided much needed space for Afghan physicians to train and work alongside coalition doctors.
The team also converted the inside of five large buildings from open bays to having individual rooms with additional lighting and electrical receptacles. They also built six hard decks for tents to house new units in the area and installed additional electrical outlets in the FOB dining facility.
All of the work has increased workspace efficiency and improved day-to-day operations. “I enjoy doing camp improvement work here,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Drew Perryman, construction electrician, one of the team members. On large projects that may last up to a year, you will not always see the end-result of the product. With this however, everything we do has a direct and visible improvement in someone’s life. I really dig that.”
“The embedding of Seabee elements in the SOTFs has proved to be an excellent force multiplier,” said a Special Forces Army Captain in charge of Special Operations Task Force South. “By building teams with skill sets across the engineering spectrum, SOTFs have the ability to readily flex engineer support to staging areas and village stability platforms to address rapidly emerging requirements. The teams have also served as subject matter experts, offering expert advice concerning larger construction projects. The teams provide an avenue to resource outside support and coordinate projects directly with the supporting unit, ensuring the most complete understanding possible prior to assets getting on the ground.”
Although NMCB 3’s deployment is more than half way over, there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done in many locations throughout Afghanistan. Their work will have a sustained and significant impact on the mission and quality of life for all CJSOTF-A personnel throughout Afghanistan well after the battalion’s return home.
NMCB 3 is an expeditionary element of U.S. naval forces providing construction, engineering and security services in support of national strategy, naval power projection, humanitarian assistance and contingency operations.