Camp Doha
Camp Doha was the main U.S. Army base in Kuwait, and played a pivotal role in the U.S. military presence in the Middle East since the 1991 Gulf War and in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The complex is located on a small peninsula on Kuwait Bay, west of Kuwait City. It was initially a large industrial warehouse complex and was taken in hand by the U.S. Army for conversion to its current role in 1998 during Operation Desert Thunder.
| Camp Doha | |
|---|---|
| Kuwait | |
| Type | U.S. Army base |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1991 |
| Events | Gulf War 2003 invasion of Iraq Operation Desert Thunder |
History of Camp Doha
Camp Doha housed both Army Forces Central Command-Kuwait (ARCENT-Kuwait) and Coalition/Joint Task Force-Kuwait (Forward) (C/JTF-KU (Fwd)), making it effectively a nerve center not only for U.S. operations in Iraq, but throughout the Middle East. At its peak, over 2,000 military and civilian personnel were stationed there, with several thousand additional personnel in transit at any given point. In April 2005, the Army announced the closure of the base, saying that the personnel from Camp Doha would be divided between Camp Buehring and Camp Arifjan.[1] As of mid-2006, though the bulk of personnel and operations have shifted to other installations, the actual closure of Camp Doha has yet to occur.
Munitions Explosion
On July 11th 1991 a fire that began as a small heater fire in an artillery supply truck loaded with ammunition grew out of control and resulted in a catastrophic accident. Three personnel were killed; 56 were wounded, some seriously; and 102 vehicles were destroyed or damaged.[2]
Camp Doha is currently used as a staging area for United States military personnel on their way to Afghanistan.
References
- Jontz, Sandra (April 11, 2005). "Army Preparing to Close Camp Doha, Shift Operations to Other Kuwait Bases". military.com. Retrieved 2006-08-31.
- Kiebler, Rene; et al. (April–June 2010). "Picatinny Insensitive Munitions (IM) Efforts Paying Dividends" (PDF). Army AL&T Magazine. Ft. Belvoir VA: US Army: 48. Retrieved 23 May 2017.