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The Air Force established the Prime BEEF program in 1964, posturing civil engineers to better respond to worldwide contingencies. Military civil engineers were divided into specially trained and equipped mobility and recovery teams, each with their own unit type code identifier. The first Prime BEEF
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to perform short-term construction projects. A Prime BEEF team was sent to Tan Son Nhut to ensure the rapidly growing base had an adequate water supply. Prime BEEF III sent teams to several other bases to build housing. The teams erected "hootches," framed tents, and constructed over 34,000 square
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were sent to bases where pavement for aircraft parking was at a premium. Aircraft were parked wing tip to wing tip, vulnerable to an accidental explosion or enemy attack. A need for aircraft revetments was dramatically brought home on 15 May 1965 when the explosion of a bomb under the wing of a
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Although Prime BEEF units are rapidly deployable and capable of providing support anywhere in the world on short notice, they are typically assigned to an installation. Therefore, when operations require heavy construction support, the U.S. Air Force employs the capabilities of RED HORSE (Rapid
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Two weeks following the 9/11 attacks members of the 27th Civil
Engineer Squadron Prime BEEF team from Cannon AFB New Mexico deployed to a forward location in the AOR and built a tent city and million gallon jet fuel farm at a (then) Classified location. They would not return till March 2002.
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Prime BEEF teams are also called on to support recovery operations after a natural or man-made disaster to assess damage, fight fires, mitigate hazards, provide emergency utilities, beddown military forces and disaster victims, repair facility damage, and control and monitor contamination.
303:). In 1969, firefighters, now a part of the Prime BEEF program, were sent to locations around the world to provide fire protection and crash/rescue support. Teams also provided civil engineering support for various research projects. For example, they supported a project of the
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Prime BEEF teams continued to perform critical repair and construction work in
Southeast Asia. Between 1965 and 1972, nearly 2,000 Prime BEEF team members were deployed to Southeast Asia to construct vital
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began to wind down, Prime BEEF teams remained in great demand by the U.S. Air Force. A number of these teams completed civic action projects in the Trust
Territories of the
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of 1962 demonstrated a need for the capability to respond to worldwide emergencies. Aircraft and support personnel were being deployed without providing runways,
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operations, they are the primary units considered when establishing and sustaining airfield operations at locations where U.S. Air Force aircraft operate.
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The primary mission of Prime BEEF is to provide civil engineer support for the beddown of personnel and aircraft. Prime BEEF capabilities include
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began, base civil engineering forces were inundated with construction, operations, and maintenance requirements. Large numbers of U.S. Air Force
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site surveys, establishing bare base camps and operations and utility system installation. Since Prime BEEF forces specialize in
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The Prime BEEF program proved its value in additional situations. Several hundred personnel were deployed to Korea during
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Prime BEEF forces have the necessary command, control and communications to support beddown;
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That same year the Air Force deployed dozens of separate teams as the buildup of forces in
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response and other specialized teams that provide unique engineering capabilities.
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feet (3,200 m) of support facilities at six bases in South
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aircraft set off a chain reaction of explosions on the parking apron at
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Engineer
Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers) units.
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Rapid
Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers
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AFCESA Factsheet: United States Air Force Prime BEEF Units, 6/4/2010
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Soon other specialized teams were deployed to bases in
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69:Learn how and when to remove this message
32:This article includes a list of general
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341:Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency
371:United States Army Corps of Engineers
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53:more precise citations.
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377:References
182:, and the
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311:in 1972.
271:petroleum
204:U.S. Army
393:Archived
319:See also
262:Thailand
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101:Overview
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