ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam – The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center's Detachment 2 successfully spearheaded the award of a $65 million contract recently to construct new reinforced concrete munitions storage magazines known as “igloos” at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
The project is the third of a four-phase effort to increase munitions storage capacity to support operational readiness at Andersen.
The undertaking is a partnership between Air Force Civil Engineer Center, AFIMSC Det. 2, the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific, or NAVFACPAC, and the 36th Wing at Andersen.
AFIMSC Det. 2, the design and construction manager, will manage the project with support from NAVFACPAC, the design and construction agent and 36th Civil Engineer Squadron for construction of the new igloos. The construction will add 20 new munitions storage facilities, in addition to the 12 new Hayman-style magazines constructed over 10 years ago. Each igloo will have a concrete apron and increased storage space to ensure safe entry for the munitions stored inside and includes state of the art design characteristics for seismic and typhoon protection.
AFCEC’s Facility Engineering Directorate, who oversees the Air Force military construction program, will also monitor construction execution to ensure the project stays on time and within budget to deliver resilient infrastructure solutions.
“The Air Force depends on the technical expertise of the professionals from AFCEC and AFIMSC Det. 2 to deliver mission-ready infrastructure,” said Col. David Norton, director of AFCEC’s Facility Engineering Directorate. “We have incorporated innovative design and construction techniques to build right-sized facilities to ensure the longest lifespan at the overall lowest lifecycle cost.”
Home to the 36th Munitions Squadron, Andersen is a strategically located installation with the largest munitions storage area in the Air Force. The base provides peacetime, exercise and contingency support in the Indo--Pacific theater and serves as a transition point for numerous aircraft en-route to several Indo-Pacific locations.
“The new munitions storage facilities will help us increase efficiency as a lethal fighting force. The increased capacity will support our current and future missions and enable us to execute more effectively,” said Col. David K. Aragon, 36th Wing vice commander.
Construction is expected to be complete in March 2023.