"...I believe that we are, as a country, the greatest force for good in the history of the world."
- Bob Gates, Secretary of Defense, Time, Feb 3, 2010
No reason for this AEBEA logo in the blog, other than I love the eagle's body armor
I have been traveling the Iraqi countryside over the last few days, hitting Tikrit (Saddam's old 'hang out') and Mosul (maybe the most dangerous place in Iraq). The first stop was the 3rd Infantry Division headquarters; the 'Rock of the Marne' had a great set up (I'm sure the 25th ID did too - Dan and Kris) and were celebrating their WWII heritage on all of the walls. The CG had a lunch buffet for the J9 staff at his mess - Michael Buble signing 40s hits, WWII regala and posters - prior to our economic briefing on his area of responsibility in the north.
Flying to Tikrit
After spending Tuesday driving through Baghdad to visit the Ministry of Electricity (MoE), a small band of Electricity staffers joined Admiral Belton (my boss) for a Wednesday trip to Mosul Dam - cited by some as the "most dangerous dam in the world" for its unfortunate geologic situation; note to self, 'do not build a huge earthen dam structure on a water-soluble geologic substrate despite what a crazed despot might threaten to do to you and your family.' It was a pleasant surprise to find a well run, well maintained hydro-electric plant operating inside this structural bad dream. The MoE staff can't meet the designed electricity production levels since the reservoir cannot be maintained at its designed maximum - for fear of increased seepage and the resulting quickened rate of gypsum going into solution, creating voids, losing the structural support for the dam, causing failure, leading to a large wall of water arriving into the town of Mosul in a fairly short period of time. 300 Megawatts is a reasonable price to pay to avoid all of that, although it was pointed out that if the dam collapsed the insurgents would no longer be able to attack Mosul residents as they and the residents would no longer be in Mosul - having been quickly and violently relocated to points further south.
Photo album of the trip is here: Mosul Dam Album
We were secured by an infantry company from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Spartans)/3rd Infantry Division as we moved around the dam complex (highly professional group of soldiers). As we moved from place to place, much negotiation was needed - the infrastructure police like to assert their power whenever possible, but the facility staff were welcoming and damn proud of the dam and the hydro-electric equipment.
After three days on the road, I gladly reentered protective custody in the New Embassy Compound Minimum Security Prison (for awhile, at least).
Grace & peace
P.S Upcoming edition (not too much later, this weekend perhaps) of BenRep - the Iraqi election and "Responsible Draw Down". In the meantime check out General O:
3 comments:
Great to have a blog from you...anxiously awaiting the next update. Great pics as well. In some you look like you're having too good a time! :)
Love and miss you.
Great post. More of that flying around reviewing stuff, please. Next, I'd like your report on the crude oil export capacity at the port in Basra. Thanks.
Dog, obviously you are well read on Iraq. The two oil platforms near Basra are the limiting factors on this country's ability to get its money making product to the world market. The Iraq Crude Oil Export Expansion (ICOEE) project is the linchpin to Iraq exceeding 2M bbls of crude a day - and in classic Iraqi style, the Ministry of Oil just can't seem to get the contracts going...
I do plan a trip to the Basra area - to see the Kartet Powership upon arrival in the Um Qasr port (http://www.turizminsesi.com/haber/karadeniz-powership-projesi-5251.htm )
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