Two battalions of Navy Seabees will deploy to Afghanistan in coming months as part of the 30,000 additional U.S. forces deploying to the region.
NMCB 133 from Gulfport and NMCB 4, based in Port Hueneme, Calif., will deploy in March.
Each battallion contains about 580 Seabees.
The buildup is part of the buildup of additional troops in support of the President Barack Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan. The Seabees’ mission is to help provide infrastructure such as bases, berthing facilities, roads and airfields for the increasing number of U.S. forces in country.
Although the deployment schedule is a March date, the battalions could leave as early as January. As part of their normal rotation cycle, NMCB 4 and NMCB 133 were originally scheduled for deployment in February. NMCB 133 was scheduled to go to Afghanistan, and NMCB 4 was originally scheduled to deploy to the Pacific Region.
“Since World War II, the Seabees have supported the Marine Corps in every major conflict. This is our legacy, and we are proud to be part of this important mission,“ said Rear Adm. Mark Handley, commander of the First Naval Construction Division, in a press release.
Read more about this story in Wednesday’s Sun Herald.
Source:sunherald.com/
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