Prime BEEF

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alexis Pentzer
  • 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  

The 9th Civil Engineer Squadron (CES) partnered with the 60th CES, Travis Air Force Base, for Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force (BEEF) July 17, 2025 on Beale AFB.

 

Prime BEEF squadrons, like the 9th CES, are rapidly deployable units of civil engineers that focus on maintaining and repairing existing infrastructure and facilities on established bases in any circumstance. Beale AFB maintains a partnership with Travis AFB to ensure every Airmen is trained and equipped to accomplish the mission in any setting, whether at home or in a contested environment.

 

Airmen from each base gathered to participate in a joint training that provides the opportunity to learn from each other and how each partner is executing their training, gaining great insight on how each squadron can improve. Once a quarter, teams from both Beale and Travis’s CE squadrons participate in a larger scale field training exercise (FTX). 

 

“The quarterly FTXs are an effort to bring more realism and immersion into training Airmen while at the same time combining multiple objectives that are required in training programs.” said U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Zachary Sims, 9th CES, requirements and optimization officer in charge. “It also gives us a great opportunity for us to connect and train with other units from other bases, such as Travis AFB.”

 

For the Prime BEEF players, a company grade officer (CGO) and a senior noncommissioned officer (SNCO) are selected to lead the charge for their team. Then, the Prime BEEF training manager looks at members who may have an upcoming deployment or training. Once those members are identified, they are tasked to complete their training in a FTX. The training manager works to select a wide variety of the disciplines to include firefighters, plumbers, explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) technicians, etc.

 

“For FTX events, I try to pick members who have done the regular hands-on training to be able to execute objectives during the exercise.” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Travis Nunweiler, 9th Civil Engineer Squadron readiness flight superintendent. “In these training events, I ensure that the deployment bands that are about to head down range are trained hands-on in a variety of different skills. This helps us fine-tune training, find gaps in training, and ensure we are staying lethal.”

 

The Airmen are trained on small unit tactics, base defense, land navigation, radio communication, tactical combat casualty care (TCCC), and convoy operations. The multi-staged training provided experience that works to maintain a competitive edge in the great power competition.

 

This exercise allowed Airmen to practice true agile combat employment (ACE) and mission ready airmen (MRA) concepts. They have to adapt to their surroundings and make expedient methods work that are not routinely taught. Instead of erecting a small shelter system, they were given a large tarp and paracord. Instead of pallets of water bottles, they were given a small compact stove system to procure their own water. Instead of the 9th Logistics Readiness Squadron palletizing the equipment for them, it was the CES Airmen’s job to build pallets of equipment and transport them. 

 

“The importance of these FTXs is their ability to adapt with the times. What is current today, may not be current tomorrow.” Sims said. “When we started these FTXs a couple years back, drones weren’t really thought about but now, with the ongoing conflicts in the world, we decided it was time for us to get more reps with that type of warfare.”

 

The 9th CES has been doing these types of FTXs for 2 years, and with each iteration, Prime BEEF has continued to grow and develop. Previous projects have included constructing contingency kitchens, creating tent laydown areas, aircraft flybys, and siting wells. The 9th CES is planning to conduct an overnight FTX or something similar in the coming months.

 

“Each iteration has its own ‘firsts’.” Sims said. “This iteration’s ‘firsts’ were the use of drones to engage the team as well as doing pallet buildups, forklift loading, and follow along ground transport.”

 

The 9th CES partnered with 9th Security Forces Squadron (SFS) for the first time, to have drones flying during the exercise, tracking the players, simulating dropped explosives, and having them react to what drone warfare would be like. The 9th SFS also provided a lesson showcasing anti-drone measures by doing a familiarization of the Dronebuster radio frequency jammer.

 

“Each FTX, with its new planner/coordinator, brings a new set of eyes to train Airmen.” Sims said. “This continuously adapting training yields the wing adaptable Airmen who can support the team at home or in-theater. It gives the Airmen the tools and, more importantly, the mindset to adapt and overcome.”