MANSFIELD — In April of 2014, the 200th RED HORSE Squadron (RHS), Camp Perry, Ohio and U.S. Army Europe Office of Deputy Chief of Staff, Engineer (ODCSENG) began planning the design and construction of four multipurpose buildings in Israel. This Joint Exercise Related Construction (ERC) project would be the first time the Air National Guard would be back in Israel since 2009 in an ERC-related capacity.
The execution of the project provided over 600 Air National Guard Engineers and 50 Navy Seabees an opportunity for effective training and experience working in a unique joint environment.
The 200 RHS served as the project lead, providing project management and subject matter experts throughout the project to maintain continuity. The Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1, Gulf Port, Miss., provided 17-25 Seabees whom where a trusted partner in this effort throughout the duration of the project. The incredible support provided by National Guard Bureau Civil Engineer Readiness Division and United States Air Forces in Europe, ensured transportation was effectively coordinated to transport personnel into and out of the project site.
This assistance was critical to the involvement of six Air National Guard Prime Beef Units. The 169th Fighter Wing Civil Engineering Squadron (CES), S.C., 103rd Airlift Wing CES, R.I.; 122nd Fighter Wing CES, Indiana; 174th Fighter Wing CES, N.Y.; 106th Rescue Wing CES, N.Y.; and 101st Air Refueling Wing CES, Maine, each provided 35-40 personnel for a 16-day Deployment for Training (DFT) rotation.
Starting May 2015, the initial teams hit the ground performing earthwork and foundation construction for each of the four 10,000-square-foot buildings. Each foundation consisted of approximately 80,000 pounds of steel and 330 total cubic yards of concrete.
As each foundation pad was completed, walls began to be erected. The Nuform walls, a prefabricated stay-in-place Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe wall system, were erected concurrently while rebar was placed vertically and horizontally throughout.
Once the buildings walls were completed, timber wall supports were installed and roughly 200 cubic yards of high slump concrete were poured into the walls providing an 8-inch thick reinforced concrete building shell. To support the roof, 18 tons of steel I-beams and columns were installed in each building. Each of the 180 total roof trusses were constructed on site and comprised of over 49,000 linear feet of .75 mm steel and over 75,000 total screws.
Following installation of the roof trusses and supports, 45,000 total square feet of insulated roof panels were installed, and then followed by installation of the interior heating, venting and cooling (HVAC) and electrical systems. The interior electrical work included 300 interior lights, 6,000 feet of conduit and baskets, 24,500 feet of electrical wiring, 300 outlets in addition to a very extensive service panel for each building.
As each of the four buildings progressed slightly ahead of the next, countless project hurdles were overcome: intense heat during foundation work, thunderstorms during roof work, complexities of Fiscal Year impacts, contractor material delays, and the inherent challenges of a design build project of this size and scope; on Feb. 15 of this year, all four buildings were completed.
Initially, due to a number of complex hurdles, previous attempts by other organizations failed to start this project creating urgency due to the expiration of $2 million in project funding. Completion of this project would provide Juniper Cobra, a reoccurring joint exercise involving over 800 members from US and Israeli Military forces, 40,000 square feet of permanent operational exercise space.
In order to execute a project of this scope and size, an extensive planning and design phase was required. The initial step for any project is the identification of the requirements. Although the square footage for the buildings was established, the project team worked closely with U.S. Air Forces Europe (USAFE) and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to develop a site layout and building concept that is flexible and allows adaptation for multi-usage and meet the requirements of the exercise.
The 200 RHS took this flexible design concept to approximately 80-90% design completion. To satisfy Host Nation requirements, the 200 RHS worked closely with a host nation contractor to coordinate the remaining portion of the design to ensure compliance with host nation codes, requirements, and available materials.
Due to time constraints and a number of other challenges; including material shipping and procurement, the design-build process occurred throughout, and paralleled the life-support and logistical coordination required for the execution of a project of this size. The logistical and life-support coordination was critical to the project success; requiring the alignment and positioning of 650 personnel with differing skills and experience levels, coordination of over 14 MILAIR and 120 individual commercial flights, procurement of over $4 million in construction materials through multiple contracting mechanisms, and life-support requirements spanning almost a year.
This massive project -using over 2,400 cubic yards of concrete and 400,000 lbs of steel rebar- was successfully completed on time for the 2016 Juniper Cobra Exercise; and along the way became the largest Air National Guard DFT in history. The completed buildings improved the effectiveness of the joint exercise, provided over $500,000 of exercise cost savings, and improved U.S.-Israeli relations.
Through troop construction and $4 million of material costs, the project saved roughly $8 million for a project that would have likely totaled $12-13 million if completely contracted.
While completion of the four buildings is significant, the success of this project should be defined by the incredible training provided to over 650 engineers; training that enhanced technical and leadership expertise; developed relationships within the Air Guard, between Services, and between nations; and improved communication skills for operating in a complex interagency and multinational environment.
