Seabee Afghan deployment reportedly extended - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Seabee Afghan deployment reportedly extended

One Seabee battalion’s deployment to Afghanistan reportedly has been extended, and it may not be the last.

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74, which has been based in the Helmand province since mid-August, is staying an extra two months, according to reports by the Biloxi Sun-Herald of Mississippi.

Daryl Smith, spokesman for the 1st Naval Construction Division in Norfolk, Va., said no official word has gone out and would not comment on the report.

However, Division Commander Rear Adm. Mark Handley told Navy Times in late December that Seabee deployments would likely “be slightly longer and [time at home] will be slightly shorter,” and that he expected details by mid-January.

The extension is in conjunction with the deployment of more than 1,100 Seabees to support the surge of 30,000 additional U.S. forces headed to Afghanistan. Two Seabee battalions are gearing up and will be in country no later than March. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4 will deploy from Port Hueneme, Calif., and NMCB 133 will deploy from Gulfport, Miss. Each battalion contains about 580 Seabees. The deployments will increase the Navy’s ground presence in Afghanistan by 29 percent.

Cmdr. Bruce Nevel, NMCB 74 commanding officer, gave his troops the news during the battalion’s Christmas party, according to the Sun-Herald.

“I think people take a lot of pride in what we’ve accomplished out here, and they know how important it is not just to the battalion, but for the nation and the world really,” Nevel said. “This has a huge impact on stability in Afghanistan, which affects stability in the war on terrorism, and has a real direct support for the president’s strategy, so that means a lot.”

Some 3,700 sailors are already in Afghanistan. Portions of two Seabee battalions have been there since January 2009. The rest are mainly explosive ordnance disposal and medical personnel. Another 208 sailors are building schools and roads.