Iraq Entry Control Point, circa 2009

Iraq Entry Control Point, circa 2009. . , Entry Control Point (ECP): A system of checkpoints aimed at controlling foot and vehicle traffic entering a forward operating base (FOB), consisting of blockades, gates, constant live-video-feed monitoring, and more., In an active combat zone, properly and thoroughly inspecting all traffic entering a U.S. military FOB is vitally important. Throughout the Army’s time in Iraq (2003-2006), all types of units performed the duties of “gate guards”. Soldiers assigned to ECPs inspected vehicles and people, reviewed identifications, passes and orders before allowing anyone to access a base. Nor doing so could prove lethal to anyone inside and be a publicity victory for the enemy., Behind ECPs, forward operating bases were military fortifications of varying sites surrounded by T-walls, Hesco Barriers, concertina wire, guard towers, berms, and similar defensive measures. Some were carved out of abandoned factories or old Iraqi military bases or bulldozed from the rural landscape. While a FOB was often where an offensive tactical operation originated from, it was also where Soldiers could have a “home away from home”. Air-conditioned quarters, a post-exchange, a military-welfare-recreation facility, internet, phone lines, and a dining facility among other amenities were part of most FOBs in Iraq. To be sure, for all but the smallest of FOBs, life inside was vastly different to that on the outside.