Camp Bastion
Encyclopedia
Camp Bastion is the main British
military base
in Afghanistan
. Accommodating 21,000 people it is situated northwest of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province
, and exists to be the logistics hub for operations in Helmand.
It is the largest British overseas military camp
built since World War II
.
Built in early 2006, the camp is situated in a remote desert area, far from population centres. Four miles long by two miles wide, it has an airstrip and a field hospital
and originally had full accommodation for the 2000 men and women. The base is divided into 2 main parts, Bastion 1 and Bastion 2. Bastion 2 includes two tenant camps, Camp Barber (US) and Camp Viking (DK). Bastion also adjoins Camp Leatherneck
(US) and the Afghan National Army (ANA) Camp Shorabak. Apache
and Chinook helicopters are forward-deployed at the Heliport
.
In November 2006, Tony Blair
visited Camp Bastion, and, while addressing a gathering of British troops, described it as "an extraordinary piece of desert" "where the fate of world security in the early 21st century is going to be decided."
in Birmingham
. Afghan nationals are also treated at the hospital in many circumstances including accidental injuries and road traffic collisions. Currently they are the busiest Role 3 NATO hospital in Afghanistan.
In late 2009 the Hospital came under Danish command for a 3 month period, as the Danish Field Hospital Squadron was deployed in order to relieve the British Joint Medical Group.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
military base
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Accommodating 21,000 people it is situated northwest of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province
Helmand Province
Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....
, and exists to be the logistics hub for operations in Helmand.
It is the largest British overseas military camp
Military camp
A military camp or bivouac is a semi-permanent facility for the lodging of an army. Camps are erected when a military force travels away from a major installation or fort during training or operations, and often have the form of large campsites. In the Roman era the military camp had highly...
built since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Built in early 2006, the camp is situated in a remote desert area, far from population centres. Four miles long by two miles wide, it has an airstrip and a field hospital
Field hospital
A field hospital is a large mobile medical unit that temporarily takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent hospital facilities...
and originally had full accommodation for the 2000 men and women. The base is divided into 2 main parts, Bastion 1 and Bastion 2. Bastion 2 includes two tenant camps, Camp Barber (US) and Camp Viking (DK). Bastion also adjoins Camp Leatherneck
Camp Leatherneck
Camp Leatherneck is a 1,600 acre United States Marine Corps base located in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade initially developed Camp Leatherneck in 2008 in preparation of its forces deploying to Afghanistan. The forward element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force...
(US) and the Afghan National Army (ANA) Camp Shorabak. Apache
Westland WAH-64 Apache
The AgustaWestland Apache is a licence-built version of the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter for the British Army's Army Air Corps. The first eight helicopters were built by Boeing; the remaining 59 were assembled by Westland Helicopters at Yeovil, Somerset in England from...
and Chinook helicopters are forward-deployed at the Heliport
Heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
.
In November 2006, Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
visited Camp Bastion, and, while addressing a gathering of British troops, described it as "an extraordinary piece of desert" "where the fate of world security in the early 21st century is going to be decided."
Camp Bastion Airfield
Camp Bastion airfield handles around 600 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft movements every day, operating combat, medical and logistics flights. It was set up in April 2006 to handle no more than three aircraft movements per week. In late 2007, a 2,350 metre long and 28 metre wide concrete runway became operational enabling the number of movements to rise to 5,000 per month by the end of 2008. It has now grown to become the fifth-busiest UK-operated airport. In February of 2011 construction of Bastion's new 3,500m (11482ft) runway was completed and the base can now handle almost all commercial and military aircraft. The old shorter runway is now only used as a parallel taxiway. Its air traffic controllers are integral to the support of the UK's operations in southern Afghanistan and the Air Traffic Control Squadron at Camp Bastion is the first to recruit and train US Marines to UK air traffic control standards.Field Hospital
Camp Bastion's Hospital, manned by regular and reserve personnel of the British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force of the Joint Force Medical Group as well as highly valuable medical assets from the US Navy to include Orthopaedic Surgeons, General Surgeons, Anesthetists, Nurses and Corpsman, and is the location to where wounded military personnel from the British, US and other ISAF forces in Helmand Province are evacuated to from the battlefield and treated, supported by US Navy, Army and Air Force medics, or from where they are evacuated to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Queen Elizabeth HospitalQueen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham is an NHS hospital in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, situated very close to the University of Birmingham. The hospital, which cost £545 million to construct, opened in June 2010 replacing the previous Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Selly Oak Hospital...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. Afghan nationals are also treated at the hospital in many circumstances including accidental injuries and road traffic collisions. Currently they are the busiest Role 3 NATO hospital in Afghanistan.
In late 2009 the Hospital came under Danish command for a 3 month period, as the Danish Field Hospital Squadron was deployed in order to relieve the British Joint Medical Group.