| Joint Base Balad (Balad South East) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Airmen control aircraft flying into and out of Balad Air Base, Iraq, as a C-17 Globemaster passes by | |||
| IATA: XQC – ICAO: ORBD / KQTO | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military | ||
| Operator | United States Air Force | ||
| Location | Operation Iraqi Freedom | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 161 ft / 49 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 14/32 | 11,490 | 3,503 | Concrete |
| 12/30 | 11,495 | 3,504 | Concrete |
Joint Base Balad[1], formerly Balad Air Base and Logistics Support Area Anaconda, or simply LSA Anaconda - formerly known as Al-Bakr Air Base (Arabic: قاعدة البكر الجوية) and known in popular media as Camp Anaconda - is one of the largest United States military bases in Iraq. It was formerly the largest Iraqi Air Force base.
The Army's 310th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and the Air Force's 332d Air Expeditionary Wing are headquartered at JBB. It was decided that the facility share one name, even though for many reasons and for its many occupants, it has differing names. Until early 2009 the US Army had been in charge of the base but, when the base went "Joint" the US Air Force took overall control. Balad is the central logistical hub for forces in Iraq. Camp Anaconda has also been more colloquially-termed "Life Support Area Anaconda"[2] or "Mortaritaville" [3] or the "Big Snake". Joint Base Balad is also used extensively by aircraft of the Royal Air Force, which have operated a wide range of types (rotary and fixed wing) from the base, in support of ongoing missions in the country.
As American forces leave Iraq, Joint Base Balad is planned for handover to the Iraqi Air Force by the end of 2011.[4]
Contents |
Joint Base Balad was formerly known as al-Bakr AB, named in honor of Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, the president of Iraq from 1968-79. It was considered by many in the Iraqi military to be the most important airfield of the Iraqi Air Force. During most of the 1980s, it operated with at least a brigade level force, with two squadrons of MiG-23 fighters. al-Bakr AB was especially well-known for the large number of hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) built by the Yugoslavs during the Iran-Iraq War in the mid-1980s. It had four hardened areas—one each on either end of the main runways—with approximately 30 individual aircraft shelters.
Located near Balad, Iraq in the Sunni Triangle 40 miles (64 km) north of Baghdad, it houses 28,000 military personnel and 8,000 civilian contractors. Unlike most bases in Iraq, LSA Anaconda offers amenities including a movie theater, fast food courts, dance lessons, an olympic size swimming pool, and an indoor swimming pool. The base is a common destination for celebrities and politicians visiting US troops in Iraq.
In 2004, several mortar rounds and rockets were fired per day [5], usually hitting the empty space between the runways, although there were isolated injuries and fatalities. By mid-2006, this rate had dropped about 40% [6]. Due to these attacks, the soldiers and airmen refer to the base as "Mortaritaville", though this name is shared with other bases in Iraq. The base is thought to be one of four "super-bases" planned by the Pentagon once US forces are replaced by Iraqi forces on the front lines.[7]
Joint Base Balad had a burn pit operation as late as the summer of 2008 burning 147 tons of waste per day when the Army Times published a major story about it and about health concerns. Respiratory difficulties and headaches were reported.[8]
Joint base Balad is also home to the Air Force Theater Hospital, a Level I trauma center which boasts a 98% survival rate for wounded Americans and Iraqis alike.[9] This Trauma Center is supported by the 332nd Civil Engineer Squadron's Power Production Shop; who also boasts a 99% uninterruptable prime-power grid.