The engineer battalion I mentioned before is lovingly referred to as Termites around here. Their mission is to tear down unsafe buildings in preparation of turning this base over to the Afghanistan Army. Camp Stone is surrounded by Afghan National Army facilities. We built it that way. Camp Zafar, the 9th CDO Kandak and the Corps Support Battalion all built by the Corps of Engineers surround Camp Stone. When we leave, Camp Stone itself will become an Afghan installation.
Parts of Camp Stone were constructed using MILCON money. Military Construction dollars are (like all Federal monies) mandated for one particular use by Congress. Anything built with MILCON funds is for the exclusive use of American military forces (or at times our allies, but only when we intend to use them as well) by statute. As such, when American military forces are done using them they are torn down, dismantled, buried, scrapped, anything that will meet the federal requirement. But this is not the only reason to bring down these functional buildings.
Wasteful government spending bothers me. While I am paid from tax money, I also have taxes taken out and I spend the government's money like it is my own. It is the least I can do, and one of the things that should be ingrained in any warranted contracting officer of the federal government like me. Tearing down something just because of the source of funds should bother me more than it does. Long ago I realized though that Congress gives up efficiency for control. They know the things they do are as stupid as a screen door on a submarine. They know they make as much sense as the mint in New Orleans (closed circa 1861). They continue to make bad choices because it allows them to control what gets done, how it gets done, where it gets done, and who does it. All choices that they really don't know shit about. They just know that they want control. So this doesn't bother me as much as it could.
The buildings being torn down were occupied until just before their destruction began. They were deemed unsafe by the lowest bidder awarded the job of inspecting the base. So the NATO forces occupying them were moved out and the engineers brought in to tear them down.
Part of the reason that they are deemed unsafe is that the Afghans would move in wood burning stoves when the buildings are theirs, which will make the wooden structures very unsafe indeed. So the Afghan general in charge at Zafar, or one of his staff, astutely asked about the possibility of acquiring the materials. A reasonable request that was accommodated. So now they will get the walls, roof trusses, and other materials used to construct these buildings.
So that when we leave, they can re-construct them. More than likely using one nail for every three previously used. Making them more unsafe than before.
Stupid is as stupid does. And stupid does a lot.
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