According to Staff Sergeant (SSG) James Willet (pseudonym), the 2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR logistics NCO, an “old hand” with ADVON duty, the Uzbek air base commander at K2 was not really happy to have Americans on his base. He was worried about their personal safety and about possible retribution from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a militant terrorist group based across the border in Afghanistan. Willet said, “It was weird and kind of eerie being one of only ten Americans, and constantly watched by Uzbek soldiers. When I left high school it [Uzbekistan] was still Russia, and I had never heard of Uzbekistan.”
Figure 32. Karshi Karnabad (K2), Uzbekistan.
Once settled, SSG Willet made initial contact with the air base commander, an Uzbek Air Force lieutenant colonel, through an interpreter and quickly developed positive rapport, despite the wide disparity in ranks. Willet explained that the ADVON traveled light and that he needed to buy supplies and rent equipment. Concerned about their good relationship, the Americans did not want to exploit the Uzbek commander’s generosity. It took some convincing before he was granted permission and escorted by an Uzbek pilot. Willet and his interpreter were driven to the open-air market in the village. Dressed in khaki trousers and a sports shirt, and carrying an M-9 automatic, the 6-foot, blonde-haired, blue-eyed American was “head and shoulders” above everyone in the Asian crowd as he moved among the vendors’ stalls. Feeling very conspicuous and surrounded, Willet was glad that the Uzbek colonel had insisted on the escort. After making his purchases in soms, the local currency, the trio returned without incident. Until the evening, that is, when Willet realized his visit to the market had made him a television celebrity on the local news. The Americans had truly arrived.
Figure 33. K2, Uzbekistan.
Over the course of the next few days, Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cdr) Millender (pseudonym) from SOCCENT met with the military commander and other local Uzbek officials, negotiating as much space as possible for the incoming American forces. However, it was the Uzbek commander of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Kasymov, who ultimately decided the boundaries. Kasymov marched to the western edge of an unused taxiway, stopped, and decreed, “From this point that way is yours; nothing more!” This, as the Americans quickly discovered, was how everything was accomplished in Uzbekistan. Operating in a slow, bureaucratic manner, all officials had to call their superiors for final approval. It was only after Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov had personally given Defense Secretary Rumsfeld permission to use the air base for search-and-rescue missions that the main body of U.S. forces was allowed to arrive. Colonels became primary action officers for getting things done in this former Soviet republic.
While diplomatic negotiations continued, the rest of the ADVON began setting up the tactical operations center (TOC) in the only building allotted, an old Soviet-era structure with paint peeling off the walls and broken windows. While the building had only a few separate rooms and was poorly ventilated, it became the central resourcing point for the ADVON party. U.S. Air Force CPT Paul West (pseudonym) conducted a survey of the taxiways and runway to accommodate the arrival, unloading, refueling, and departure of C-17 jet transport aircraft. He also reviewed U.S. military air traffic control procedures with the Uzbek air traffic control officials to ensure that they fully understood the differences. MAJ Kyle Killinger (pseudonym), a contracting offi- cer from SOCCENT, arranged for fuel deliveries (aircraft and heating), building materials, supplies, and laborers with local businesses and government officials. The future economic benefit was not lost on any of the Uzbek hierarchy or the local population; these visitors would help the local economy. SSG Willet’s rapport with the air base commander enabled him to wrangle seven aircraft bunkers for incoming helicopters and airplanes to better divide the available real estate. A force protection assessment evaluated the airfield’s security and prioritized needed improvements, especially to the old earthen berm around the aircraft bunkers. The daily coordination meeting between Millender and the Uzbek colonel in charge of base logistics mandated nightly progress reports from the entire ADVON. On 2 October 2001, the worst sandstorm in 50 years hammered K2. With more storms predicted, acquiring temporary troop shelters escalated to the top priority. The Uzbeks provided 19 general purpose burlap tents.
Figure 34. Uzbeck guards—the bottom of the bureaucratic ladder.
Uncorking the Bottled Airlift
Meanwhile, the delay in obtaining diplomatic country overflight clearances and basing rights caused a bottleneck in the strategic airflow of troops, equipment, and supplies into the theater of operations. Transport aircraft packed airfield aprons and taxiways at Morone, Spain; Sigonella, Sicily; and Incirlik, Turkey. To complicate the air movement, the U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III was the only heavy-lift jet aircraft permitted to use K2 Air Base. This meant that loads carried by the largest Air Force jet transport, the C-5B Galaxy, had to be “downloaded” and split up to fit the much smaller C-17s. Caught in the bottleneck was an Air Force theater airlift control element (TALCE) at Morone, Spain. When that 50-person detachment arrived with none of its aircraft unloading equipment late on 3 October, it was unprepared for the gush of backed-up airplanes.
Figure 35. K2 buildup with backlog of accumulating supplies and equipment.
When Secretary Rumsfeld was granted permission to use K2 for “search-and-rescue operations” finally on 5 October, the physical effect on the airplanes backed up from Spain to Turkey was like uncorking a champagne bottle. Limited ramp and taxiway parking space turned an orderly, carefully prioritized, and orchestrated flow of airplanes into a hodgepodge. In an effort to free clogged European air bases for follow-on traffic, airplanes were launched as quickly as possible, merely shifting the traffic jam to the unprepared K2 Air Base and overwhelming its air traffic control capabilities. This was made worse by the limited cargo offloading equipment available. With a C-17 arriving every 2 hours by 6 October, the base population exploded from 100 personnel to more than 2,000 in a week. The resulting command and control situation could only be described as “utter chaos”!
Figure 36. 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR).
All Credit Cards Accepted at K2 Gas Station
The early arrival of the forward arming and refueling point (FARP) section of the 2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR, alleviated the long delays associated with the Uzbeks refueling all U.S. aircraft. In addition to seven fuel handlers and an ammunition handler, the FARP had three heavy expanded mobility tactical truck (HEMTT, pronounced “hemmit” by the soldiers) tankers, each capable of carrying 2,550 gallons of fuel. The FARP team leader, Sergeant First Class (SFC) Douglas Steverson, seeing how long it took the Uzbeks to refuel the C-130P air tankers, started refueling all aircraft with his HEMTTs. The FARP team tirelessly pumped fuel to all U.S. and coalition aircraft that landed at K2—120,000 gallons of fuel the first month. When the