Umm Qasr base boost to stability

Multi-National Forces-Iraq ^ | Ken Holder

[SandRat]

Iraqi Coast Guard Commordore Tariq Jabbar Hammodi and COL Gary Johnston cut the ribbon to officially open the Umm Qasr Iraqi Coast Guard Forward operating Base.

PORT OF UMM QASR -- The Iraqi people recently received a new $3.26 million Forward Operating Base at the port of Umm Qasr, courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The base will aid Iraqis in securing waterways and creating stability.

“Stability is something that Iraq is trying very hard to accomplish,” said Colonel Gary Johnston, Commander, USACE, Gulf Region South. “They won’t be able to do that unless they have all the elements in place.”

In May 2006, General George W. Casey outlined the elements that would allow Iraqis to achieve stability. “The keys to stability lie in unity, security and prosperity,” he said.

The Umm Qasr project helps accomplish all three pillars outlined by General Casey. According to Iraqi officials, the Umm Qasr facility provides the Iraqi Coast Guard with a secure forward operating base along the Khor Az Zubair waterway. With improved visibility of the waterways and port operations, establishment of this facility increases the level of security for both the ports of Umm Qasr and Khor Az Zubair. Ultimately, the base will strengthen Iraqis’ ability to secure their waterways, ports and coast; and the additional security will foster prosperity and enhance the unity of the Iraqi people.

The Forward Operating Base at Umm Qasr.

The Umm Qasr base will be especially useful in fighting oil smugglers. For as long as anyone can remember, smuggling has been a drain on the Iraqi economy. Some estimate the nation loses millions, if not billions, of dollars in revenue from oil smugglers alone each year. Until recently, the Iraqi Coast Guard had few resources in which to fight the highly-armed and well-trained smugglers who operated with near impunity within the coastal waters and rivers of the nation. The Umm Qasr base will give Iraqis the tools to effectively fight oil smugglers.

“We’re very proud to have been able to do this project for the Iraqi Coast Guard and for the people of Iraq,” said Johnston. “If the smugglers know that Iraq is serious and has the resources to confront them, maybe it will make them move their operations elsewhere or consider a new line of work.”

Major features of the Umm Qasr project include construction of administration and accommodations buildings, boat and vehicle hardstands, boat ramp, a pier with floating dock, perimeter fencing, a fuel point and a power supply facility.

“I was happy to sit down with (Iraqi Coast Guard) Commodore Tariq Jabbar Hammodi and discuss this project and his concerns for future development of the facility,” Johnston said.

During the meeting Commodore Hammodi thanked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Johnston’s team for the base, and expressed his ideas for other projects he would like to see at the installation. The request included upgrades to electrical service, water supply, communications, additional ship mooring and maintenance.

“The Commodore, like all good military commanders, wanted to make sure that I surfaced some of his additional needs and concerns up through my chain of command,” Johnston said. “I assured him I would do that and encouraged him to make contact with the appropriate Iraqi governmental officials so they know his needs as well.”

[SandRat]

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