| Transit Center at Manas (Manas Air Base) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sokuluk District,Chüy Region NearBishkek in Kyrgyzstan | |||||||
 AUS Air ForceC-17A Globemaster III assigned to the817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Detachment 1 departs the Transit Center Manas during March 2014. The flight signified the end of the airlift mission into Afghanistan from the base. | |||||||
| Site information | |||||||
| Type | Air Force base | ||||||
| Owner | Kyrgyzstan Government | ||||||
| Operator | Kyrgyz Air Force | ||||||
| Condition | Converted to military logistics command | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
  Manas Location in Kyrgyzstan | |||||||
| Coordinates | 43°03′01″N74°28′10″E / 43.050278°N 74.469444°E /43.050278; 74.469444 | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 2001 | ||||||
| In use | 16 December 2001 (2001-12-16) – 3 June 2014 (2014-06-03) (12 years, 5 months) | ||||||
| Fate | Returned to Kyrgyz control | ||||||
| Events | War in Afghanistan | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: FRU,ICAO: UCFM,WMO: 382200 | ||||||
| Elevation | 637 metres (2,090 ft)AMSL | ||||||
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| Airfield shared withManas International Airport. Source:AIP Kyrgyzstan[1] | |||||||
Transit Center at Manas (formerlyManas Air Base and unofficiallyGanci Air Base) is a former U.S. military installation atManas International Airport, nearBishkek, the capital ofKyrgyzstan. It was primarily operated by theU.S. Air Force. The primary unit at the base was the376th Air Expeditionary Wing. On 3 June 2014 American troops vacated the base and it was handed over back to theKyrgyzstan military.[2]
The base was opened in December 2001 to support U.S. military operations in theWar in Afghanistan. The base was a transit point for U.S. military personnel coming from and going to Afghanistan. Recreation facilities included internet cafes, wireless internet, pool tables, free video games, and telephone lines via theDSN that allowed coalition forces to call their homes at little or no cost. The base had a large dining facility, a gymnasium, and a chapel. There was also a library where books and magazines were available for active duty airmen. It also hosted forces from several otherInternational Security Assistance Force member states.
Several events, such as the shooting of a local civilian and rumors of fuel dumping, had led to strained relations with some of the local population.[3] Powers such as Russia and China had been pushing for the closure of the base since 2005.[4]
In February 2009, the Kyrgyz Parliament voted to close the base after the two governments failed to agree on a higher rent for the property.[5][6][7] American and Kyrgyz officials continued negotiations after the announcement, and on 23 June a tentative agreement was reached. Under the new arrangement, the United States will pay[8] $200 million, three times the previous rent, for continued use of the facilities. Before the handover to the Kyrgyz military, Kyrgyz forces handled security in the areas surrounding the facility, while American forces provided security for the facility, and the site was then called a "transit center" instead of an "air base".[9]
All U.S. forces vacated the base in early June 2014, at which time control of the base was handed over to Kyrgyz authorities.[10][11] The U.S. lease officially expired in July 2014.[12]
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The installation was initially named after New York Fire Department ChiefPeter J. Ganci, Jr., who was killed in theSeptember 11 attacks.[13] The all-ranks club/recreation center on base was known as "Pete's Place" in his honor.[14]
Shortly after theU.S. Air Force had used the name "Ganci", it was found that anAir Force Instruction (AFI) dictated that non-U.S. air bases could not bear the name of any U.S. citizens (the formerClark Air Base in the Philippines pre-dated this instruction). Since that time the air base has been officially called Manas Air Base, after the name ofManas International Airport where it is located.[citation needed]
The name "Manas" refers to theEpic of Manas, a world-renownedKyrgyzepic poem.[15]
The facility was renamed "Transit Center at Manas" following a new agreement between the U.S. and Kyrgyz governments, signed in June 2009. Most English-language sources, however, continue to refer to it as "Manas Air Base".
The center opened on 16 December 2001.[16]
In December 2001, the 86th Contingency Response Group out ofRamstein Air Base in Germany arrived at Manas to open the airfield for military use as part ofOperation Enduring Freedom.[17]
U.S.close air support aircraft deployed there includedU.S. Air ForceF-15Es andU.S. Marine CorpsF-18s. In February 2002, a detachment ofFrench Air ForceDassault Mirage 2000D ground attack aircraft andKC-135 air-refueling tankers deployed to Manas in support of ground forces inAfghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. In March of the same year, theRoyal Australian Air Force stationed two B707 air-to-air refueling aircraft at the base. ANorwegianC-130 deployed there in early 2002; it was withdrawn in October 2002 when a tri-national detachment, known as European Participating Airforces (EPAF) of a total of 18 F-16s, 6 from theDanish, 6 from theDutch and 6 from theNorwegianF-16 multirole aircraft took the place of the Mirages. Support for the new aircraft came in the form of one NetherlandsKDC-10tanker, and several American KC-135s, which remained assigned until June 2014. At the same time, Spain deployed two Superpuma rescue helicopters from its Army Aviation and at least two C-130s. Several of the servicemen from this unit were killed in an air crash on their way home from the base.[18]
In September 2004, the Royal Netherlands Air Force again returned with 5x F-16 fighter/bomber to provide Close Air Support (CAS) for theISAF mission, which now encompassed both Kabul and Northern Afghanistan. To supplement the small availability of tanker aircraft, a RNLAF KDC-10 was also deployed which flew regularly to supply Dutch F-16s with fuel. At that time, the Spanish Airforce was also giving support with a single C-130. The Dutch, commanded by LtCol Bob "Body" Verkroost, remained until the presidential elections of 9 October 2004 elected Hamid Karzai as president of Afghanistan. The last F-16 mission was flown on 19 November 2004 at which time the F-16s were withdrawn to their homebase ofVolkel Airbase in the Netherlands, while the KDC-10 flew the personnel back toEindhoven Airport. The Dutch returned with F-16s to the Afghan theatre in 2005 but at that time began operating out ofKabul Airport.
TheTulip Revolution of March 2005 led to the toppling of Kyrgyz presidentAskar Akayev. However, American and allied personnel did not find themselves disrupted or affected, according to international news reports. One military member even indicated, "It's been business as usual...We did not miss a single flight."[19]
In April 2006, Kyrgyzstan's new president,Kurmanbek Bakiyev, threatened to expel U.S. troops if the United States would not agree by 1 June to pay more for stationing forces in the Central Asian nation. He later withdrew this threat.
On 6 September 2006, U.S. Air Force officerMaj. Jill Metzger went missing after being separated from her group while visiting a shopping center in Bishkek. She was found three days later in the nearby city ofKant. After an Air Force investigation, it was confirmed in February 2012 that Metzger had indeed been kidnapped as she had claimed.[20]
On 6 December 2006, U.S. serviceman Zachary Hatfield fatally shot Alexander Ivanov, a Kyrgyz civilian, at a truck checkpoint at the base. A statement from the base stated the airman "used deadly force in response to a threat at an entry control checkpoint".[21] Ivanov, a truck driver for Aerocraft Petrol Management, was waiting to finish the security check before proceeding into the U.S.-controlled area. According to a base spokesman, "As the airman approached the tent, the driver physically threatened him with a knife which was discovered at the scene. The airman drew his 9mm weapon and fired in self-defense."[22] Hatfield fired two shots into Ivanov's chest, killing him.
The killing drew widespread condemnation from Kyrgyz authorities and they quickly demanded that Hatfield's immunity from local prosecution be revoked. In the meantime, U.S. authorities agreed to have Hatfield remain in Kyrgyzstan until the matter was resolved.[23]Another issue to come out of the shooting was that of the compensation offered to Ivanov's family. His employer offered the family $50,000 while the U.S. government offered only around $2,000. Galina Skripkina, a lawyer representing Ivanov's widow, described the U.S. offer as "humiliating" and said that if it was not increased the family would take legal action. However, the U.S. embassy stated that this amount was an interim payment and that final compensation would be determined once the investigation into the shooting was concluded.[24]
More detailed data about the hearings on the Hatfield case were published in late December 2010 via the web site Russian Reporter, which issued a series of dispatches from the State Department and U.S. embassies, supposedly originating from the WikiLeaks archive.[citation needed] "Junior Sergeant Hatfield was subject to severe administrative measures against him, which will have long-term effects and negatively affect his career," the dispatch stated though criminal charges against Hatfield never went to a military court.[citation needed] According to the dispatch, the officer authorized to initiate court-martial was General Arthur Lichte, a commander at the airbase, who, "after reviewing the report of the Article 32 investigation and considering the advice of his staff judge advocate...dismissed the charge against SrA Hatfield," the dispatch states. It said that Lichte had ruled for a non-prosecution based "on his own professional and impartial judgment of the facts of the case and the evidence that was available." The paper reported that Lichte was given the power of referral because he was not previously involved in the investigation of the case, nor in the chain of command relating to Hatfield.[25] In the summer of 2009, after dismissing criminal charges against Hatfield, the U.S. military gave Ivanova's widow $250,000.[26]
On 3 February 2009, Kyrgyzstan's PresidentKurmanbek Bakiyev announced that Manas Air Base would soon be closed.[27] A bill calling for the closure of the base and the eviction of U.S. forces was passed by theKyrgyz parliament by a vote of 78 to one on 19 February 2009.[7] The following day, 20 February, an official eviction notice was delivered to the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, according to theKyrgyzstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[28]
The news of the base's closure followed the announcement of a new agreement between Russia and Kyrgyzstan in which Kyrgyzstan will receive $2 billion in loans and $150 million in financial aid from Russia.[29] Most observers see the two events as connected, and believe that Russian financial assistance was offered on the condition that U.S. forces were expelled from Kyrgyzstan.[30][31][32][33] As of 2009, the U.S. government provided $150 million in aid annually to Kyrgyzstan.[30] According to GeneralDavid Petraeus, head ofU.S. Central Command, around $63 million of that sum is directly connected to the base.[34] The larger Russian package is viewed by some analysts as an effort to "out-bid" the Americans.[30]
Referring to the closure of Manas Air Base,Pentagon spokesmanGeoff S. Morrell directly accused Russia of "attempting to undermine [American] use of that facility".[29] U.S.Secretary of DefenseRobert Gates also said that, "The Russians are trying to have it both ways with respect to Afghanistan in terms of Manas. On one hand you're making positive noises about working with us in Afghanistan, and on the other hand you're working against us in terms of that airfield which is clearly important to us."[33] However Russian PresidentDmitry Medvedev distanced his country from the announcement, saying that it was "within the competence of the Kyrgyz Republic" to decide how the Manas base functioned.[29]
On 23 June 2009 a new deal was reached between the U.S. and Kyrgyz governments. It was ratified by the Kyrgyz parliament two days later, and signed into law by President Bakiyev on 7 July.[35][36] Under the terms of the new agreement, U.S. payment for use of the facilities will increase from $17.1 million to $60 million. An additional $117 million will be given to the Kyrgyz government, including $36 million for upgrading the airport with additional storage facilities and aircraft parking, $21 million for fighting drug trafficking in the country, and $20 million for economic development.[37][38]
The facility's official title also was altered under the new agreement. Instead of being referred to as "Manas Air Base", it became the "Transit Center at Manas International Airport".[38] According to a Kyrgyz government spokesman, the facility will officially cease to be an air base in August 2009, after which point its legal status would be altered to a logistic center.[35] Additionally, security around the base will now be handled by Kyrgyz personnel, as opposed to American servicemen.[9]
Several local political observers believe that despite the changes in the new agreement, activities at the base will continue unaltered, and in fact, as of March 2010, operations had continued.[9][38] In March 2010 the United States transported 50,000 NATO soldiers to Afghanistan via Kyrgyzstan as it represents the quickest and most efficient route.[39] The new agreement does not appear to restrict the kind of materials U.S. forces can move into and out of the base.[9]
According toBill Gertz, US State Department officials reportedly overheard thatChina had asked the government of Kyrgyzstan to close the base to U.S. use in return for $3 billion in cash (a sum equal to a tenth of all Chinese foreign aid given from 1950 to 2009).[40] According to Gertz, the Chinese ambassador to Kyrgyzstan subsequently denied to the U.S. ambassador that the covert cash offer had been made.[41]
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On 6 April 2010 asecond revolution took place. The transit center itself saw few mishaps during the revolution. The 376th Expeditionary Security Forces and augmentees were initially called to combat duty when a Kyrgyz military armored personnel carrier (APC) was taken from a National Guard facility in Bishkek by revolutionaries and was driven to the transit center with the intent to enter the base and stop any fleeing members of the former government. Small arms fire erupted in several locations around the base to include the flight line. The base commander Colonel Holt had all armed combat units and those that were transiting to or from Afghanistan in combat posture to defend the transit center.
On 8 November 2011, newly elected PresidentAlmazbek Atambayev announced that he would attempt to close the base when its lease ran out in 2014.[42]
In September 2012, Atambayev repeated his view that "Manas should be a civil airport" which "should not be a military base for any country". He reaffirmed his stance that starting from 2014, Manas airport will only be used to transport passengers.[43]
In 2014, American military flights began to fly out ofMihail Kogălniceanu International Airport,Romania instead of Manas.[44]
| International | |
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| National | |
43°03′41″N74°28′39″E / 43.061306°N 74.477556°E /43.061306; 74.477556
