Camp Adder
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| Also known as | Tallil Air Base; Ali Air Base; Imam Ali Air Base; LSA Adder; COB Adder; Nasiriyah Airport |
|---|---|
| Location | Dhi Qar Province / about 23 km southwest of Nasiriyah |
| Type | Air base and contingency operating base (joint U.S. Air Force and Army, with coalition camps) |
| Category | U.S. installation in Iraq |
| Opened | 2003 (U.S. use; former Iraqi Air Force base) |
| Closed or transferred | Nearly vacated of U.S. forces on 16 December 2011; final U.S. base closed in Iraq at the end of Operation New Dawn |
| Coordinates | 30.93972, 46.09250 (30°56′23.0″N 46°05′33.0″E) |
Overview
Tallil Air Base, a former Iraqi Air Force base about 23 km southwest of Nasiriyah, became one of the main coalition installations in southern Iraq after the 2003 invasion. The U.S. Army generally called it Camp Adder, the U.S. Air Force used the name Ali Air Base, and many personnel continued to call it Tallil. The installation covered about 30 square kilometers inside a 22 km security perimeter, and the ancient city of Ur and its ziggurat lay within that perimeter.
Before 2003 the base housed Iraqi MiG fighters and Mi-24 helicopter gunships in hardened shelters built by Yugoslav contractors, and it was heavily bombed and then seized by the U.S. 24th Infantry Division during the 1991 Gulf War. After the 2003 invasion the U.S. Air Force's 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing operated from Tallil until moving to Balad in January 2004, and the Massachusetts-based 726th Maintenance Battalion arrived in May 2003 to run the mayor cell for Logistics Support Area Adder.
The 407th Air Expeditionary Group then ran the airfield, operating C-130 Hercules aircraft and training more than 100 Iraqi airmen who became the Iraqi Air Force 23rd Squadron before it moved to Kirkuk in 2006. British Royal Engineers of 34 Field Squadron (Air Support) built accommodation and repaired the runways for U.S. Air Force use.
Coalition partners held their own sections of the base. Australian troops used Camp Terendak until the Australian battlegroup withdrew on 1 June 2008, and Romanian troops used Camp Dracula until early June 2009. Camp Adder also hosted the Provincial Reconstruction Teams for Dhi Qar, Muthanna and Maysan provinces, the Dhi Qar team being led by Italian personnel.
Army sustainment, aviation and National Guard brigades rotated through Camp Adder for the rest of the war. In 2011 the 20th Engineer Brigade served as the mayor cell and managed the base's transition, and the 77th Combat Aviation Brigade was the last aviation brigade to finish its mission in Iraq. The base was nearly vacated on 16 December 2011, and its closure and the move of the remaining forces to Kuwait were among the final acts of Operation New Dawn.
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Gulf War: base bombed and seized by elements of the U.S. 24th Infantry Division. |
| 2003 | U.S. Air Force 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing operated from Tallil; A-10s of the 442nd Fighter Wing were at the base. |
| 2003-05 | 726th Maintenance Battalion arrived to run the LSA Adder mayor cell. |
| 2004-01 | 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing moved to Balad Air Base. |
| 2006-02 | Iraqi C-130 crews trained by the 407th Air Expeditionary Group, designated 23rd Squadron, moved to Kirkuk. |
| 2008-06-01 | Australian battlegroup withdrew from Camp Terendak. |
| 2009-06 | Romanian troops withdrew from Camp Dracula. |
| 2010-03 | New air traffic control tower completed. |
| 2010-10 | Iraqi Air Force Squadron 70 moved its CH2000 surveillance aircraft from Basrah to Ali Air Base. |
| 2011-12-16 | Base nearly vacated of U.S. forces; final actions of Operation New Dawn. |
Units stationed at Camp Adder
Units documented in public sources as based at or operating from Camp Adder. This list is not complete; units rotated frequently and many smaller elements were never reported. Veterans can add their unit on the message board below.
| # | Unit | When | Role at the base | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, U.S. Air Force | 2003-January 2004 | Operated from Tallil before moving to Balad Air Base | link |
| 2 | 442nd Fighter Wing (A-10 Thunderbolt II) | 2003 | A-10 aircraft deployed to Tallil | link |
| 3 | 301st Rescue Squadron, Air Force Reserve | 2003 | Pararescuemen deployed at Tallil | link |
| 4 | 726th Maintenance Battalion (Massachusetts) | May 2003 | Mayor cell for Logistics Support Area Adder | link |
| 5 | 34 Field Squadron (Air Support), Royal Engineers (UK) | 2003 | Built accommodation and repaired runways for U.S. Air Force use | link |
| 6 | 407th Air Expeditionary Group, U.S. Air Force | 2004-2011 | Ran Ali Air Base; operated C-130s and trained Iraqi airmen | link |
| 7 | 407th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron | 2006 | Base perimeter security with an Army quick reaction force | link |
| 8 | 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division (Minnesota Army National Guard) | 2006 | Brigade stationed at Camp Adder | link |
| 9 | 82nd Sustainment Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division | 2007 | Sustainment brigade at Camp Adder; trained Nasiriyah police in casualty care | link |
| 10 | Australian Army battlegroup (Camp Terendak) | until 1 June 2008 | Australian troops held Camp Terendak on the base | link |
| 11 | Romanian Army contingent (Camp Dracula) | until June 2009 | Romanian troops held Camp Dracula on the base | link |
| 12 | Dhi Qar Provincial Reconstruction Team (Italian-led) | dates not stated in source | Reconstruction team based at Camp Adder | link |
| 13 | 361st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron | 2008 | Operated MQ-1B Predator unmanned aircraft from Ali Air Base | link |
| 14 | 557th Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron | 2008 | Heavy construction, including a forward refueling point for Army helicopters | link |
| 15 | 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Task Force Volunteer), 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) | 2009-2010 | Convoy security mission from Camp Adder | link |
| 16 | Iraqi Air Force Squadron 70 | October 2010 | Flew CH2000 surveillance aircraft from Ali Air Base after moving from Basrah | link |
| 17 | 20th Engineer Brigade | 2011 | COB Adder mayor cell and theater engineer brigade; managed the base's transition | link |
| 18 | 77th Combat Aviation Brigade (77th Theater Aviation Brigade) | 2011 | Last aviation brigade to start and finish its mission in Iraq; departed December 2011 | link |
Notable events and facts
- The ancient city of Ur and its ziggurat lay inside the base's security perimeter.
- Iraqi Air Force hardened aircraft shelters on the base were built by Yugoslav contractors before 1985; the Gulf War Air Power Survey counted 36 of them in 1991.
- The base was bombed by Iran in Operation Kaman 99 on the second day of the Iran-Iraq War.
- Camp Whitehorse, a small Marine-run detention site near Tallil, was the scene of a detainee beating death.
- A modern air traffic control tower was completed in March 2010 as part of an airfield modernization program.
Photographs
Roll call: who served at Camp Adder
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Message board: Camp Adder
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Sources
- Nasiriyah Airport (Tallil Air Base) (Wikipedia). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasiriyah_Airport
- Wikimedia Commons search results for Camp Adder (file descriptions). https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=%22Camp+Adder%22&ns6=1