CARGO CITY, Kuwait -- The 387th Air Expeditionary Group celebrated Cargo City’s second birthday, recognizing the accomplishments and hard work over the last few years at Cargo City, Kuwait, May 19.
As passengers travel through Cargo City, many may not realize the constant growth, impact, and role the strategic camp plays for the U.S. Air Forces Central Command theatre.
“As we celebrate Cargo City’s second anniversary, we celebrate a successful partnership with our host nation here in Kuwait as well as with our joint and coalition partners,” said U.S. Air Force Col. John F. Borowski, 387th Air Expeditionary Group commander “Since opening two years ago, the small team here has processed more than 230,000 passengers and 48,000 tons of cargo, making it the busiest port of debarkation in the AFCENT theatre.”
With every milestone there are challenges to overcome, and that’s exactly what the 387th AEG has done the past year.
“A year ago, COVID restrictions severely degraded our ability to improve our posture and develop our host nation relationships,” Borowski said. “Fast-forward to today, and we have a thriving camp that is well situated to support the mission and take care of the people who accomplish it.”
Heading into year three, there are constant projects aimed to increase quality of life for those who temporarily call Cargo City “home”.
“Over the last year, we’ve worked towards constructing official lodging, a gym and morale, welfare and recreation center, we’ve paved and graveled dirt areas and expanded services and our capabilities,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gregory Ward, 387th Expeditionary Support Squadron commander. “As we move forward, these improvements will continue to compile, and further development of supporting facilities will enable the expanded permanent population of the camp driven by the increased lodging.”
Another project the 387th ESPTS has worked on, closely with the host nation, is reducing the transit time between other bases in Kuwait to Cargo City.
“Because of the small size, most personnel who work at Cargo City commute from other nearby bases,” Ward said. “However, this new road realignment will reduce that driving time by 47,000 hours and 3.5 million kilometers per year.”
These improvements to Cargo City aim to increase interoperability and enable further mutual support efforts.
“As the primary Theater Gateway, we support Operations Inherent Resolve and Spartan Shield, as well as hosting our Italian partners and Task Group Breus while also providing logistical support for other international partners,” Borowski said. “As our host nation partners continue to relocate more functions to the Cargo City area, we expect more collaboration and further opportunities to build partnership capabilities.”
As the camp continues to grow, so will the 387th AEG’s role in the years to follow.
“The U.S. Air Force has enjoyed its partnership here at Kuwait International Airport for over 20 years and while the overall mission may change, this location will remain a strategic logistics point for U.S. Central Command and our international partners,” Borowski said. “The mutual benefits of this are substantial and on the occasion of this second anniversary we would be remiss not to thank them for their support.”