Once more into the fray

Exciting travel opportunity is a pretty common problem these days, but one not altogether unexpected, unwarranted or unwanted. Once you get on the Company’s “List”, it’s tough to get off of it so, as projects develop, and a particular skill set is required, the call is received. For most jobs, the skill set enlarges during the tour, so there’s more to sell the next time. This is the natural progression of professional experience, and a requirement for any type of corporate advancement. For me, it’s a personal requirement – work had better get more interesting all of the time or [Robocop Voice] there will be trouble.

Of course, I could always say, “no”. And I do, on probably two out of three requests. Sometimes the timing is completely wrong, there could actually be something going on in my assigned office, or the compensation doesn’t align with the perceived risk. Sometimes it’s just the wrong time and place to go somewhere.


But, considering all of the above, Pakistan for a few weeks in January doesn’t sound all that bad. By and large, the new pieces are the location and the client, although Pakistan is next door to Afghanistan (just another I-stan), and I’m currently working for the Navy, with plenty of Army experience, so how much different can the Air Force be? We’ll see.

For now, I’m just a little bored here.

Since we (you,,.. us,… them) aren’t leaving this patch of desert any time soon, there is a call to transition this camp from Expeditionary to Enduring. Essentially, this will change the focus of construction from less expensive, austere, relatively temporary methodologies (stick built, plywood sided buildings, tents and containerized housing units) to more costly, harder, and permanent facilities (concrete and block buildings, paved streets, and more landscaping).

With this change to Enduring, there will also be a change in the way service-people are assigned here, from the four to six month rotations common throughout this side of the world to the two and three year postings that you’d experience while serving in Western Europe, Korea, or in CONUS. Considering the present Spartan facilities here, most everyone would be hard pressed to survive two or three years on this site without some major changes in the way the camp is configured.

One of the first steps is to develop a comprehensive master plan, outlining the progression from metal CHU’s to large bachelor dormitories, from the stick and plywood DFAC to a steel and glass dining hall (with reusable trays and silverware and everything), from a gym in a foam covered tensile fabric structure to an air conditioned pre-engineered metal building. The master plan was approved last week, which makes me think that Congress will approve AFRICOM’s request to endure this Camp.

The next step will be to change the name of this place to something less French.

The third process is to develop what they call an Installation Appearance Plan, which will govern the look and feel of future improvements. On any well defined campus, you might note that the architecture is complementary. Colors and styles work together. Landscaping is comprehensive and well thought out. Signage is consistent and useful. The overall look and feel and the arrangement of things are coordinated. Long and short term visitors can navigate without undue heartburn and easily arrive at a harmonized sense of place.

This is the report that we’re writing. It will provide a template for future improvements here with regards to styles, colors, materials, shapes, plants, signage, and what have yous.

Unfortunately, there’s not a huge Civil/Transportation/Hydraulics component to this effort, so the bulk of my input has been merely kibitzing with the landscape and regular architects. It’s not completely wasted time, just not full time. Worse though, is that there will be little follow on effort to take home with me so, instead of spending the next month at the office completing my portion of this assignment, I’ll be instead scrounging for chargeable tasks – not my favorite of circumstances.

And it’s in this light that I’ve agreed to head back out in a month or two. Of course, I’m hoping that each time I do one of these, I get closer to another extended assignment on some pleasant tropical island.

It’s a nice thought, regardless.