# Camp Baledogle runway repair: USD12.3m DoD contract, 2018 report

> Somaliland Standard reported on 27 September 2018 that the US DoD awarded a USD12.3 million contract to URS Group for emergency runway repairs at Camp…

- By: Editorial Team, Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com/about)
- Published: 30 September 2026
- Format: News story (reported from one named public source)
- Publication: Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com)
- Subject: Infrastructure and Services
- Tags: roads, drainage
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/camp-baledogle-runway-repair-contract

## Key points

- On 2018-09-27, Somaliland Standard reported that the US Department of Defense had awarded a USD12.3 million contract to North Carolina-based URS Group for emergency runway repairs at Camp Baledogle in central Somalia.
- The same report described the runway as 3.2 km long, built for the Somali military in the 1970s with Soviet support, and used at the time by AMISOM's Aerostar UAV unit, the UN logistical-support mission, and Somalia's Danab special forces.
- No record in that report shows whether the repairs were started, completed or cancelled, and no contract start date or completion date exists in the evidence.

On 27 September 2018, [Somaliland Standard](https://somalilandstandard.com/somali-airbase-to-have-runway-repaired/) reported that the US Department of Defense (DoD) had announced on 24 September that it awarded a USD12.3 million contract to the North Carolina-based company URS Group for emergency runway repairs at Camp Baledogle (Bahle Dogli) in central Somalia. The report does not state the year of that DoD announcement; 2018 is inferred from the publication date of the article itself.

No contractor start date, completion date or period of performance appears in the report. The USD12.3 million figure is the contract value the DoD announcement carried through Somaliland Standard; the report does not present it as the total project cost, and it does not identify a funding source beyond the award.

## What the 2018 report said about the airfield

According to Somaliland Standard, the runway at Camp Baledogle, also known as Wanlaweyn Airport, is 3.2 km long and was built for the Somali military in the 1970s when Somalia was supported by the Soviet Union. Those details are the newspaper's, not the DoD's, and the report does not cite a source for the length or the construction history.

The same report stated that, as of 2018, the runway was used by the African Union Mission in Somalia's (AMISOM's) Aerostar unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveillance unit, the UN mission that provides logistical support to AMISOM, and Somalia's Danab special forces. That user description reflects the 2018 report, not current operations.

## What the 2018 report does not establish

The report as published does not state whether the emergency repairs were started, completed or cancelled, does not give the scope of works in detail, and does not say whether URS Group mobilised. No subsequent update from the DoD, URS Group, AMISOM, the UN mission or Somali authorities appears in the report on the runway's condition or use.

The report also gives no precise location for Camp Baledogle beyond central Somalia, and no budget line beyond the contract value. Readers trying to track the project forward should treat the 24 September award as the last documented decision in this source, not as evidence of work on the ground.

> **Note:** USD12.3 million is the contract value reported from the DoD announcement. The report does not say it is the total project cost, and it gives no start or completion date.

## Questions

### Which airbase is involved?

Camp Baledogle, also known as Wanlaweyn Airport, in central Somalia, according to Somaliland Standard's 2018-09-27 report.

### What is the scope of repairs?

The report describes emergency runway repairs. It does not give further scope-of-works detail, a start date or a completion date.

### Is a contractor selected?

Yes. Somaliland Standard reported the DoD awarded the contract to North Carolina-based URS Group. The report does not say whether the company mobilised or began work.

## Sources

- [Somali airbase to have runway repaired](https://somalilandstandard.com/somali-airbase-to-have-runway-repaired/) — Somaliland Standard, 2018-09-27