Seabee's call Barksdale hive their home

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alexandra M. Boutte
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Barksdale, home of Air Force Global Strike Command, houses numerous Air Force tenant units on base to support the Air Force mission. So who are the military members in green fatigues?

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 28, a component of the Naval Construction Force, commonly known as Seabees, also calls Barksdale home.

Seabees perform construction to support combat forces by building and maintaining camps, airfields, roads, bridges and piers. The Seabees also provide force protection measures like hardening structures and equipment, and building fences. They are trained in and perform defensive combat operations when necessary by establishing and securing perimeter defenses, patrolling, employing weapons systems and performing other light infantry skills. Seabees routinely respond to natural disasters in the United States and across the world, including Hurricanes Katrina and Ike and most recently the earthquake in Haiti.

Barksdale provides a large training compound for the Seabees to utilize one weekend per month. The Seabees use the Warrior Training Center, located on the East side of the installation, for navigation and Humvee training. The battalion has weapons located in the 2nd Security Forces Squadron armory and uses Barksdale's firing range. A few active-duty Seabees also occupy base housing.

"Barksdale provides excellent facilities and services for NMCB 28 headquarters and command staff. Barksdale allows personnel from NMCB 28 to perform construction training and military training to include camp set-up scenarios, weapons qualifications and convoy operations," said Cmdr. Robert Oliver, NMCB 28 commanding officer.

The Readiness Support Site of NMCB 28 moved several times in its early years as a southern battalion. The initial location was the Naval Ammunition Depot in McAlester, Okla., and later settled at Barksdale in 1978.

"Barksdale is centrally located among six states in which NMCB 28 personnel live, work and train," Commander Oliver said.

There are approximately 16,000-personnel in the NCF, 500 of them operating out of Barksdale. NMCB 28 consists of one of the largest geographic coverage areas including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

Within the NCF, there are seven naval construction regiments, three active and four reserve, and 21 naval mobile construction battalions, nine active members and 12 reserve members.

The Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 28 provides construction and engineer support to the United States Marine Corps, Naval Forces and other military forces. The NMCB 28 also provides humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to civilian population.

"We are a one-stop shop here," said Senior Chief Petty Officer Keith Legier, NCMB 28 readiness support site supervisor. "We are mission-ready and can leave at a moment's notice. We build, we fight."

With a primary mission of providing construction and engineer support to combat forces, the Seabees are ready to deploy on short notice to any point on the globe. NMCB 28 recently deployed as a battalion to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and performed combat support missions.