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Feature Stories

NEWS | March 8, 2018

Theater Gateway Now Open at Camp Buehring

By Brent Thacker 1st Theater Sustainment Command

1st Theater Sustainment Command (TSC) and the 38th Sustainment Brigade opened Camp Buehring’s Theater Gateway Feb. 21, 2018.

Camp Buehring’s gateway was stood up predominantly to streamline the Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) deployment into Afghanistan, as well as numerous other units deploying and redeploying throughout the Central Command Area of Responsibility (CENTCOM AOR) February through May 2018. The Theater Gateway at Camp Buehring expects to receive over 20,000 personnel over the next several months.

1st Lt. Keerstin Beitter, deputy chief of the 49th Theater Gateway and officer-in-charge of the Camp Buehring gateway, spoke about the theater and her responsibilities.

“I am responsible for overseeing all gateway operations at Buehring; essentially the reception, staging, onward integration of all deploying servicemembers, contractors, and DoD civilians, ensuring everyone has access to a meal and a bunk, and getting them onto their next leg of travel,” said Beitter. “Our goal is to process each individual within 24-72 hours of their arrival to the theater gateway.”

To handle the influx of personnel, Camp Buehring added 3,000 bed spaces in their housing units.

1st Lt. Beitter relies on a collaboration of 10 different units working in tandem to handle the influx of personnel. She explained how they perform their day-to-day operations.

”We average one-to-two incoming flights, two-to-four outgoing movements, and run six shuttles from Camp Buehring to Ali Al Salem daily,” said Beitter. “[We’re] making sure everyone is accounted for and gets where they need to be in an expeditious manner is our daily mission.”

Beitter spoke about the major improvements that make this theater gateway viable to complement the surge of personnel coming in and out of Buehring.

“The three tents we work out of were completely reorganized to accommodate theater gateway operations,” said Beitter. “All three tents had to be wired for connectivity with the tactical network. The S-6 channels did extensive amounts of work to ensure we had lines of communications. The Movement Control Team (MCT) set up lanes in our parking lot area in order to direct the flow of busses, baggage trucks, shuttles, and personnel offloading baggage. Sixty tents were reserved for billeting, thereby requiring inspections and any necessary maintenance. Fifty light sets were placed in order to properly illuminate the billeting areas and water points and porta-johns were brought to accommodate our large throughput.”

1st Lt. Beitter explained logistically how personnel would continue to travel in the CENTCOM AOR once Camp Buehring theater gateway closes.

“Once the Buehring gateway closes, deploying personnel will travel from the Aerial Port of Debarkation (APOD) to Camp Arifjan for in-processing,” said Beitter. “They will then be sent to Ali Al Salem for onward travel into theater. Redeploying troops will continue to go through Arifjan in order to undergo customs out-processing.”