Al Asad Airbase Al Asad Airbase was the second largest US military airbase in Iraq and is located in the largely Sunni western Province of Iraq Anbar Governorate . Until January 2010 , it was the home of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force ( MEF ) . Other major tenants have included the 3rd ID ' s 4th IBCT , 82nd Airborne Division Advise & Assist Brigade , 321st Sustainment Brigade , Vertical Onboard Delivery Detachment - 1 ( VOD - 1 ) , VAQ - 142 , Navy Customs Battalion Juliet , elements of the Iraqi Army ' s 7th Division , and the United States Air Force ( USAF ) . Geography . The base , located about west of Baghdad , is divided by a wadi that runs through the area . It has a perimeter of more than , and is the second largest USAF base in Iraq . It has 23 hardened shelters , two paved runways and a dirt runway . The runways , taxiways , tarmacs , hangars , and maintenance areas are on the southern half of the base , while living quarters , motor pools , and administrative areas are in the natural valley formed by the dry river bed to the north . A number of abandoned Iraqi aircraft are scattered throughout the base , in various states of disrepair , as well as hardened bunker s originally meant to house them . The oasis located on the base is mistakenly known as " Abraham ' s Well " , and is purported to have been a stopping place during the journey of Abraham recounted in the Book of Genesis . History . Al Asad was formerly an Iraqi Air Force Airbase , then known as Qadisiyah Airbase . In Arabic , Al Asad means the " " The Lion " " . Prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq , it housed three units of the Iraqi Air Force , which flew MiG - 25 s and MiG - 21 s . It was abandoned shortly after the start of the invasion . Airbase during the Iraq War . The base was initially secured during the Iraq War by the Australian Special Air Service Regiment and was turned over to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in May 2003 . The 3rd ACR was relieved by the Marines of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in March 2004 . Al Asad became the largest Coalition base in western Iraq and the western equivalent of Baghdad ' s Green Zone . Al Asad was a major convoy hub , hosting hundreds of fuel and supply trucks every day . Huge shipments of fuel were commonly run along the dangerous routes coming out of Jordan and , despite insurgent attempts , a majority of these convoys arrived at their destinations untouched . A single convoy operation would sometimes last a couple days with trucks on the road for over 8 hours a day . Like other large bases in Iraq , Al Asad offered amenities including an indoor swimming pool , movie theater ( which was a carbon copy of the Sustainer Theatre at Camp Anaconda ) , post office , Morale , Welfare and Recreation center , several gyms , Post Exchange , Burger King , Cinnabon , Kentucky Fried Chicken , Pizza Hut , Subway Restaurant , and a Green Beans Coffee Shop . The base is self - sufficient for producing drinking water , having both a reverse osmosis water purification plant and a bottling plant . Most of the housing on base are " cans " – shipping containers converted to , or manufactured as , living areas . Some of the original barracks still remain , however , and were used as well . Overflow tents were used when required , such as transition periods , which can nearly double the number of troops on the base . The base was a common destination for celebrities and politicians visiting American troops in Iraq , such as Chuck Norris and Toby Keith . While the towns and routes near Al Asad were as dangerous as anywhere else in Iraq , it is relatively remote and is easily accessible by air . The base would receive indirect fire from Iraqi insurgents which would cause little to no damage . In one case , a mortar round damaged the portable toilets placed outside one of the barracks . Indirect fire would also be commonly mistaken for controlled EOD explosions inside the base . The controversial song Hadji Girl was recorded at Al Asad in 2005 . On September 3 , 2007 , President George W . Bush , Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice , Secretary of Defense Robert Gates , and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace visited Al Asad and spent Labor Day with the servicemember s deployed to the base . Also in September 2007 , V - 22 Osprey s from VMM - 263 landed at Al Asad Airfield as part of the first combat missions of the aircraft . As the Marines withdrew from Iraq , Al Asad remained one of the last American - occupied bases in Al Anbar . In 2009 and 2010 , Marines with the 2nd MEF removed the majority of gear and personnel from the base . The MEF concluded its operations at Al Asad in March 2010 . The last of the civilian personnel were airlifted from Al Asad on December 16 , 2011 , and the base officially closed on December 31 , 2011 .