ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- There are many cogs in the wheel to make an exercise run smoothly, and a big part of that is Civil Engineering. From supplying heavy equipment to non-stop, hard-working Airmen, CE has proven to be pivotal to every exercise and real world operation, time and time again.
As exercise Resolute Force Pacific continues in Guam, CE operates as the subject matter experts (SMEs) for base setup, operation, and maintenance. Their technicians are the first spoke members to hit the ground running, offloading aircraft and posturing equipment to establish the base. They erect tents, establish power distribution and heating ventilation air conditioning capabilities, and enable the base to achieve “warm” status, a period of time prior to temporarily deploying where members are to be ready at any given notice, within 2 hours of arrival at an austere environment.
“With the current load out, members of the 773d CES can set up a camp for 75 personnel up and have it running in under 2 hours,” said U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Odin Stevens, electrical systems craftsman, assigned to the 773rd Civil Engineer Squadron. “This includes electrical generators, power distribution, climate control and shelters.”
CE is able to provide services such as rapid airfield damage repair and/or expeditionary airfield damage repair. RADR is a post attack recovery plan to be able to quickly make a runway fully functional in less than 24 hours. It requires an entire warehouse of material and equipment, making it ideal for home stations. eADR is a mix of the legacy repair methods and RADR, and is optimized for austere locations, utilizing smaller machines with more attachments and materials found on location, making it ideal Agile Combat Employment while being compact and requiring minimal equipment.
“CE arrived at REFORPAC with the capability to operate a remote location sustaining 75 personnel, supplying them with shelter in the form of inflatable tents, electrical power, HVAC units, and two forklifts to enable potential relocation if needed,” said U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Austin Denigan, section chief of water fuels system maintenance assigned to the 773rd CES. “We also have the capability to execute infrastructure and airfield damage assessment.”
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s CE never fails to be the epitome of agile, flexible, and resilient Airmen.
“CE personnel are some of the most agile and capable Airmen in the Air Force. They have great capacity to adapt to new environments and execute their mission regardless of where they are dropped in the world. The CE mindset is one determined to get to ‘yes’ regardless of the challenge,” said Denigan.