By Troy Turner
The Navy has awarded mega-contractor BL Harbert International, based in Birmingham, a $41 million construction contract for Barksdale Air Force Base, Bossier City, Louisiana.
The company’s lengthy government and defense resume includes previous work at Barksdale AFB, such as a contract modification in late 2024 bringing to $220 million its award for work on a weapons generation facility in Louisiana.
Barksdale AFB is home to the 2nd Bomb Wing, 2nd Operations Group, 2nd Maintenance Group, 2nd Mission Support Group, the 2nd Medical Group, Barksdale Global Power Museum (which maintains historical aircraft and artifacts on the base) and the Air Force Reserve’s 307th Wing, according to military records.
Also calling Barksdale home is Air Force Global Strike Command, and the “Mighty Eighth” Air Force, of World War II fame.
The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting agency in awarding BL Harbert its latest contract at Barksdale, although Air Force contract funds will contribute to the project. Work is expected to be completed by December 2026.
BL Harbert’s impressive resume
BL Harbert carries a well-established and lengthy track record of taking on major and often complex projects in both the government and private sectors, including the development of U.S. embassy compounds abroad, facilities for NASA, large academia and sports construction projects, classified military operations, and a variety of large commercial projects.
Among examples:
–The design-build of a 126,000-square-foot facility and a 37,500-square-foot headquarters office building for the Redstone Test Center, located at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.
That facility serves as the central test center for rotary wing aircraft for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and includes administrative areas, aviation operations, testing areas, parts storage and technology shops co-located within one facility.
–A contract for the design-build of a 55,420-square-foot Group Support Battalion and an 81,650-square-foot Group Support Troop Battalion for the 7th Special Forces Complex at Eglin Air Force Base.
–The company in March 2023 received contract approval for its 10th project at Tyndall Air Force Base: the $92.9 million contract is for the design and construction of F-35 fighter jet munitions storage facilities.
“Our portfolio contains projects in more than 50 countries since 2000, providing us with the requisite knowledge to build anything, anywhere,” BL Harbert materials state. The company provides a wide array of preconstruction, engineering and design-build services.
Its U.S. embassy and consulate work spans the globe and includes completed/future projects building embassies in such hotspots as Lebanon and Turkey. In one example, the company was awarded more than $800 million between 2010-2020 to construct an embassy compound that included housing and other features in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Work on other notable projects include academic and sports-entertainment venues such as the basketball arena at Auburn University, the north endzone project at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and construction of Protective Stadium in Birmingham, among many others.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
Top photo: B-52H Stratofortresses receive maintenance during exercise Bayou Vigilance on April 3, 2024, at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Laiken King)
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