Members of the Qatari and United States Armed Forces participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of two new Blatchford-Preston Complex dormitory facilities August 3, 2021, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The dorms, paid for and built by the Qatar Ministry of Defense under the Bahadir Construction contract, help to continue modernizing Al Udeid and improve the standard of living for U.S. and Coalition Forces stationed here. The new dormitories are the first of 38 projects in development across the installation funded and constructed by Qatar to deliver more operational capacity and a higher quality of life for deployed personnel. The transition from older to more modern facilities will also provide safer hardened facilities for base personnel.
“New dormitories will provide safe, comfortable, resilient facilities for deployed members and provide more flexibility for supporting the wing, our joint partners and coalition teammates,” said Brig. Gen. Gerald Donohue, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing commander. “While the expeditionary facilities that house deployed service members served us well, they exceed their service life and are no longer sustainable.”
“This ribbon cutting ceremony symbolizes the enduring strategic partnership and close working relationship between the United States and the State of Qatar,” said Maj. Gen. David Meyer, 9th Air Force (Air Forces Central) deputy commander. “We receive outstanding support from our Qatari hosts, which is a critical ingredient for our continued success across the CENTCOM Theater.”
The Blatchford-Preston Complex is a multi-phased project for use by the U.S. Air Force. The remaining projects, which will be developed through 2022, include eight additional dormitories, two dining facilities, power and communications lines, and a base operating support facility with associated water and sewer. Al Udeid Air Base is one of two military bases southwest of Doha, Qatar, also known as Abu Nakhlah Airport. It houses Qatar Air Force, United States Air Force, Royal Air Force, and other foreign forces. It is host to a forward headquarters of United States Central Command, headquarters of United States Air Forces Central Command, No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group RAF, and the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing of the USAF.
