US-funded $155M Afghan defense center at risk from earthquakes

The Afghan military headquarters, which cost U.S. taxpayers $154.7 million, could be at risk in an earthquake, according to a report released Thursday by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

“Although the building generally met contract requirements and appears well built, we found some construction deficiencies that may have safety implications, such as improperly sized and improperly aligned building separation joints,” John Sopko wrote in a letter to the Pentagon accompanying the report.

“These deficiencies could compromise the building’s ability to withstand ground motion caused by seismic activity,” according to the report.

Inspections also revealed no bracing for items such as a fuel supply for a fire suppression pump.

“In a seismic event, the elevated 238-gallon diesel fuel tank could spill fuel across the pump room floor,” the report says. “The fuel would then leak into the rain water collection system, be directed to the wastewater treatment plant and ultimately discharged into the Kabul River.”

The five-story building was finished last year and includes a national command center, dining facilities, a 1,000-seat auditorium and a wastewater treatment plant, among other features.

Afghanistan had two earthquakes in late 2015. On Oct. 26, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck 153 miles north-northeast of Kabul. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit on Dec. 25 174 miles northeast of Kabul. 

“Overall, we did not identify any major damage, defects or areas of concern regarding the MOD headquarters building,” the report says. “However, given Kabul’s location in an active seismic zone, we remain concerned about the extent to which the MOD headquarters building would withstand an earthquake with an epicenter closer to Kabul or of greater magnitude.”

In its written response to the draft report, the Pentagon said it worked with the building’s designer to assess any issues as recommended by the special inspector general. After the assessment, the designer recommended against additional corrective action, with which the Pentagon agreed.

The report also highlighted cost overruns and delays, which have been previously reported.

When it was conceived in 2009, Afghan Ministry of Defense headquarters in Kabul was projected to cost $48.7 million and take about 18 months to build.

The project was delayed when the Afghan National Army refused to allow the contractor to access the site for about a year, according to the report. After that, there were additional delays from weather, security and funding issues.

Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Davis Jr., a Combined Security Transition Command–Afghanistan deputy chief of staff, also said earlier issues that contributed to the cost overruns have been corrected.