Ali Air Base is a military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

 airbase

Airbase

An airbase is a military airfield that provides basing and support of military aircraft....

 located near Nasiriyah

Nasiriyah

Nasiriyah is a city in Iraq. It is on the Euphrates about 225 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of the province of Dhi Qar...

, Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

. It is also known as Tallil Air Base. At present, the base is being used by United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Armed Forces. It is called Camp Adder by the U.S. Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

; the name "Ali Air Base" is used chiefly by the U.S. Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

; the installation, however, is still commonly referred to as "Tallil".

The base occupies 30 square kilometers and is protected by 22 kilometers of security perimeter. The ancient Babylonian city of Ur

Ur

Ur was an important city-state in ancient Sumer located at the site of modern Tell el-Muqayyar in Iraq's Dhi Qar Governorate...

, known as the birthplace of Abraham

Abraham

Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...

, is located within the security perimeter for Ali Base, and its ancient ziggurat

Ziggurat

Ziggurats were massive structures built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley and western Iranian plateau, having the form of a terraced step pyramid of successively receding stories or levels.Notable ziggurats include the Great Ziggurat of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq; the Ziggurat of Aqar Quf near...

 is visible from nearly every area of the base.

History

Talil Air Base was an Iraqi Air Force

Iraqi Air Force

The Iraqi Air Force or IQAF is the military branch in Iraq responsible for the policing of international borders, surveillance of national assets and aerial operations...

 base and served as the home of a unit of Soviet-built

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 MiG fighter

Mikoyan

Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG , or RSK MiG, is a Russian joint stock company. Formerly Mikoyan-and-Gurevich Design Bureau , then simply Mikoyan, it is a military aircraft design bureau, primarily designing fighter aircraft...

 aircraft as well as several Mi-24D (Hind-D) helicopter gunships. The aircraft could be serviced and stored in fortified concrete aircraft hangar

Hangar

A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...

s located at either end of the main runway. These aircraft shelters, sometimes referred to as "trapezoids" or "Yugos", were built by Yugoslavian contractors sometime prior to 1985, and according to the Gulf War Air Power Survey

Gulf War Air Power Survey

The Gulf War Air Power Survey is a report commissioned by the United States Air Force in 1993 to document and analyze its performance during the 1991 Gulf War. It consists of five sections each averaging over 700 pages, and a 276 summary report. It was one of the most popular reports issued by...

, there were a total of 36 aircraft shelters in 1991.

During the 1991 Gulf War, the base and its fortified aircraft shelters were heavily damaged by Coalition

Coalition of the Gulf War

The Coalition of the Gulf War were the countries officially opposed to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait during the 1990 / 1991 Persian Gulf War.-Coalition by number of military personnel:-United States:*Norman Schwarzkopf*Colin Powell*Calvin Waller...

 bombing missions. After the ground campaign began, elements of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division took the base with little opposition. U.S. Combat Engineers then destroyed whatever serviceable aircraft and ordnance

Aircraft ordnance

Aircraft ordnance or ordnance is weapons used by aircraft. The term is often used when describing the weight of air-to-ground weaponry that can be carried by an aircraft or the weight that has been dropped...

 was missed during the earlier air campaign.

After the start of the Iraq War in 2003, Talil, now known as Ali Air Base, was used by the U.S. Air Force 332d Air Expeditionary Wing

332d Air Expeditionary Wing

The United States Air Force's 332d Air Expeditionary Wing is an Air Expeditionary unit located at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.-Mission:...

 before moving to Balad Air Base in January 2004. The 407th Air Expeditionary Group

407th Air Expeditionary Group

The 407th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces Central 321st Air Expeditionary Wing. It is stationed at Ali Air Base, Iraq...

, which operates C-130 Hercules

C-130 Hercules

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...

 cargo airplanes, have utilized the base and trained more than 100 Iraqi Airmen on how to maintain and fly the C-130 until February 2006. The trainees were then designated the Iraqi Air Force 23rd Squadron and relocated to Kirkuk Air Base

Kirkuk Air Base

Kirkuk Air Base is a military airbase located near Kirkuk, Iraq.-General information:Kirkuk Regional Air Base is home to the 506th Air Expeditionary Group. The group maintains base security, conducts safe flying operations and actively supports base agencies in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom,...

.

Units from various Coalition groups have used designated sections of Ali Air Base during the course of the war. Camp Terendak was used by Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n troops until the Australian Battlegroup withdrawal on June 1, 2008. Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

n troops used Camp Dracula until the Romanian Army withdrew in the summer of 2009. Camp Dracula is now referred to as the "Regional Center of Excellence for Civil Capacity".

Ali Air Base is presently used primarily by U.S. forces, to include elements of the U.S. Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

, Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

, the Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

, and the Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

. Camp Adder, used by the Army, is also the home to three Provincial Reconstruction Teams for the provinces of Dhi Qar, Muthanna, and Maysan. The Dhi Qar team is led by Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 personnel, while the Muthanna and Maysan teams are headed by U.S. State Department officers. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region District manages these and most other construction projects, from start to finish, for the PRT Iraq wide.

Conditions

The base has various amenities for the troops stationed there, such as a large post exchange and restaurants such as Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....

, Burger King

Burger King

Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...

, Taco Bell

Taco Bell

Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...

, and a Green Beans coffee shop, which have since closed as of October 7, 2011. Two dining facilities operated by KBR provided hot food for the troops, U.S. government civilians and contractors working on the base; they have since closed and MRE's are the only option for food. The base also boasts a large chapel and a decent MWR

Morale, Welfare and Recreation

Morale, Welfare and Recreation, abbreviated MWR, is a network of support and leisure services designed for use by soldiers , their families, civilian employees, military retirees and other eligible participants....

 facility. A private contractor, SniperHill, provides commercial internet service. The highest speed available is 256k, for the price of $110 per month.

Most personnel living on the installation now live in containerized housing unit

Containerized housing unit

Containerized Housing Unit, usually abbreviated as CHU is the name given to an ISO shipping container pre-fabricated into a living quarters...

s, affectionally known as CHU's, as opposed to conventional tent quarters.

Airfield

The airfield is served by two main runways measuring 12,000 and 9,700 feet. A modern air traffic control tower was completed in March 2010 to further increase the airfield's capabilities. An instrument landing system

Instrument Landing System

An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...

 is currently being installed to provide CAT 1 service to the 30R approach and is planned to be operational by the end of April 2010. The airfield lighting system is also currently being upgraded as part of the airfield modernization program.

Operation Night Harvest

Operation Nigh Harvest was the uncovering of abandoned aircraft at Tallil AB. United States forces found a large junkyard of derelict Iraqi aircraft.

• Photos: Airplane Graveyard

External links

• Ali Times - 407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
• 407th Air Expeditionary Group, GlobalSecurity.org
  GlobalSecurity.org
  GlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
  
  
• photos