Stories

KBR's Government Services teams in EMEA and US have become increasingly busy in recent months supporting the Base Operations Support and Sustainment (BOSS) contract in Diego Garcia, an island just south of the Equator in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). The contract with the US Navy was awarded in 2017 and operations were mobilized beginning in November 2017.

Work is being performed by KBR Diego Garcia, LLC operating under KBRwyle, KBR's global Government Services business. KBR Diego Garcia, LLC is a joint venture between KBRSI (US) and KBR Ltd (UK). The ground team provides a range of services from managing facilities and maintaining base vehicles to general management and administration, safety, port and air operations. KBR DG even has its own navy of five crew ferries and two tug boats to support resupply and port operations.

KBR is currently performing similar operations and maintenance service work for US Navy and Army military bases around the world including in countries such as Bahrain, Djibouti and United Arab Emirates, but none are as geographically isolated as the Diego Garcia contract. Access to the island requires a five hour flight on a US Navy plane from Singapore.

"Few companies have the expertise to provide these services in such remote locations as Diego Garcia," said Craig Cook, KBR DG's Project Manager. "As one of the most isolated regions in the world, Diego Garcia is an example of KBR's ability to perform smart and dependable operations with a customer first approach anywhere on the globe."

Diego Garcia is the largest of 60 small islands making up the Chagos Archipelago. It was settled by the French in the 1790s and became a British colony after the Napoleonic Wars. In the early 1970s the island become an American military base on a leased basis and has remained so ever since. Diego Garcia was uninhabited until the late 18th century and has no indigenous population. Today the population is comprised of military personnel and supporting contractors, of which KBR DG, LLC is by far the largest with well over 1,200 staff.

While life on Diego Garcia is fairly laid back, it can become very busy at times of increased military tension supporting both UK and US Navy and Air Force operations. However, KBR DG employees that have been to Diego Garcia tend to agree with the US Navy recruitment literature once describing Diego Garcia as one of the world's best-kept secrets, boasting great recreational facilities, exquisite natural beauty, and outstanding living conditions.