Air Force civil engineers at Bagram AB, Afghanistan, have made more than 200 repairs on the base’s Soviet-era runway in the last two months—trying to keep it operational until a new runway gets finished. (DR, 09/20/05) A nine-man spall-repair team from the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron spends more than two hours a day maintaining the runway, said TSgt. Jason Benbrook, the NCOIC of airfield maintenance. Lt. Col. Mark Danigole, the 455th EOG deputy commander, calls Benbrook and his team “critical to our operations at Bagram. Without constant runway repair, flight operations would stop within a few days, he said. The airfield runs more than more than 3,000 operations a week—that and age and weather are taking their toll.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
