Still Debating? 1,800 Indians Already There
By V K Shashikumar
18 June, 2003
Indians may be busy debating whether to commit troops to Iraq but what’s not known to many is that 1,800 of their countrymen are already engaged in supporting US military operations against remnants of the ousted Saddam regime.
Camp Riggae in Kuwait houses Indians providing logistical support to the US army. Mostly used as back-up support, they help out in a range of logistical activities — from repairing US army vehicles to internal security duties at the army camps.
‘‘Camp Riggae is the base for accommodation. Our personnel go to Camp Doha in Kuwait to work for the US army. People are employed basically in maintenance work — from working on tanks to Humvees, mechanical repairs, housing and MWR activities (morale, welfare and recreation),’’ says Camp Riggae manager Shibhan Krishan Ganju.
Employed by a Kuwaiti firm, Kuwait Reconstruction House (KRH), the Indians perform crucial tasks for the US army. Indians are preferred because they are trustworthy.
‘‘Earlier, there were people from other countries, but now everyone in Camp Riggae is Indian. The US army trusts Indians because they feel that we can keep their army secrets,’’ says Ganju.
The US army first hired Indian workers through KRH after the 1991 Gulf War. From a staff strength of only 200, these Indian non-combatants employed by the US army have increased nine-fold with the present strength at 1,800. After the 1991 war, permanent American military presence in Kuwait necessitated expatriate manpower in non-combat roles.
‘‘The US army was keen on Indians to support its logistical backbone because of India’s massive human resource base, particularly in the field of technical and engineering support services. The availability of ex-Indian army personnel trained in maintaining combat vehicles was a winning factor as well,’’ says Lalit Zadoo, Camp Riggae administrator.
The workforce, headed by Zadoo, may be a small cog in the US military machine, but it helps the juggernaut roll smoothly. ‘‘Our role is to chip in with arranging logistic support and this role is the backbone of US army presence in this region. This is not something that has happened overnight. It has been built over the last 12 years. So our role is extremely crucial,’’ says Zadoo.
The Indians at Camp Riggae are engaged in internal security duties at American camp sites, especially Camp Doha in Kuwait, vehicle maintenance, administrative duties, house keeping, MWR (morale, welfare, recreation), computer maintenance, warehousing and receipt and dispersal of ordnance.
‘‘I do administrative work. We are strictly prohibited to talk about our work. The US army officers tell us that we are the backbone of their operations in Iraq,’’ says Kuntia, an Oriya at Camp Riggae. Zadoo says that there’s a possibility of camps similar to that of Camp Riggae coming up in Iraq.
At the moment the Indians who support the US military are based in Kuwait. ‘‘Indians are preferred because we are educated, professionals and the most important attribute is that we are trouble-free. So we score very high on the trust factor,’’ says Zadoo. The KRH is actually engaged in the process of recruiting personnel from India keeping in the mind the expansion of logistic services required by the US army.
‘‘I like it here,’’ says Palai, a mechanic who also hails from Orissa. ‘‘I am a wheel maintenance mechanic and I can repair any US army vehicle, from a Humvee to their largest supply trucks.’’
The Indian logistical task force have been out-fitted with US army gear. Those Indians who are deployed in internal security duties manning observation posts, patrolling inside the camps or gate manning have been issued US army fatigues.
Zadoo says that US officers regularly visit Camp Riggae and appreciate the work of the 1,800 strong Indian logistic team. ‘‘You take care of us and we will take care of you,’’ is what they always say to the Indian personnel as their parting shot.
(The author is a Roving Correspondent for Third Eye TV)