Camp Bastion, Afghanistan: haven in the desert of death Available to Purchase

Camp Bastion in Afghanistan was the largest British military construction project in a war zone for over half a century. Starting from a desert site with no access to essential services, the £53 million project was built in just four months by a construction force of 225 officers, soldiers and civilians. It included a 2250-bed camp, field hospital with intensive-care facilities, headquarter complexes, a runway for Hercules aircraft, operating surfaces for a variety of helicopter types and all other infrastructure for a sustainable forward military base. This paper describes the planning, design and construction of the award-winning project, including movement of UK personnel, machinery and material nearly 6000 km overland.