PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan (Dec. 15, 2013) -- 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment recently moved all personnel and equipment from Forward Operating Base Tagab in Kapisa province to Bagram Airfield in Parwan province. The unit will be based out of Bagram Airfield for the remainder of their deployment.
The 2nd Bn. Warriors quickly adjusted to the change of scenery and continued their advise and assist mission.
The battalion's overall mission of providing a Security Forces Advise and Assist Team that mentors the Afghan leadership remains the same, with 2nd Bn. advising at Mahmud-e-Raqi in Kapisa, Naghlu High in Sarobi District in Kabul, and now a new location at Charikar in Parwan.
Bagram Airfield's base security and defense mission is handled by multiple tenant units.
"We no longer have a force protection requirement like we did at Tagab," said 1st Lt. Lucas Weeks of Demascus, Md., who serves as a platoon leader with 2nd Bn's Company A. "This allows more Soldiers to be used solely for the mission."
The population difference between the two bases is opposite ends of the extreme as far as forward operating bases are concerned; from a few Infantry Soldiers occupying a small base to several thousand uniformed personnel of all services, international armies, and U.S. Government Civilians.
With multiple units operating in the same base, additional coordination between units must be taken to allow daily life on the base to operate smoothly.
"There are regulations and procedures that we have to follow in order to leave and enter the base, and we have to coordinate our moving pieces with other units," said Sgt. Kevin Toby, an Alpharetta, Ga. native who serves as an intelligence analyst for 2nd Bn.
Toby compared the new steps that are necessary as opposed to the simplicity of being a single unit at FOB Tagab.
"I understand these protocols are in support of Force Protection and are designed to keep all units safe," said Toby.
When 2nd Bn. Soldiers were asked about the differences in scenery, several shared the same thoughts. Many pointed out the sheer size of the new base, and how walking from one end to the other would be impractical.
Most of the battalion's Soldiers were moved into concrete buildings with shared living quarters, each with their own blocked off section to provide each resident privacy.
Parwan province, which houses Bagram Airfield, is west of Kapisa province (where FOB Tagab was located). Roughly 600,000 Afghans reside in this province, with a third of them living in Charikar, the district capital. The city of Charikar shares the same name as its district and is home to the head of the government in Parwan.
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