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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Tech. Sgt. Nathan Michaud, 557th Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron, Engineering pavement and equipment operator, ties a chain to an excavator during construction of Air Field Damage repair equipment warehouse, Dec. 23, 2018 at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates.REDHORSE and Prime BEEF build up Al Dhafra AB
                        
                        
                        Tech. Sgt. Nathan Michaud, 557th Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron engineering pavement and equipment operator, ties a chain to an excavator during construction of airfield damage repair equipment warehouse, Dec. 23, 2018, at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. The 557th ERHS provides responsive theater-wide light and heavy troop labor construction and repair. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Darnell T. Cannady)
                
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        Staff Sgt. Thomas Findlay, 557th Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron, engineering assistant, explains the foundation configuration during construction of Air Field Damage repair equipment warehouse, Dec. 23, 2018 at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates.REDHORSE and Prime BEEF build up Al Dhafra AB
                        
                        
                        Staff Sgt. Thomas Findlay, 557th Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron engineering assistant, explains the foundation configuration during construction of airfield damage repair quipment warehouse, Dec. 23, 2018, at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. The 557th ERHS provides responsive theater-wide light and heavy troop labor construction and repair. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Darnell T. Cannady)
                
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        Senior Airman Dekota Newson, 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force heavy equipment operator, remove excess cement from the foundation system to support a build during construction, Dec. 23, 2018 at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates.REDHORSE and Prime BEEF build up Al Dhafra AB
                        
                        
                        Senior Airman Dekota Newson, 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force heavy equipment operator, remove excess cement from the foundation system to support a build during construction, Dec. 23, 2018, at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. The Prime BEEF Squadron began in October 1964 and the 577th EPBS was established in September 2009 with the mission of carrying out installation engineer capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Darnell T. Cannady)
                
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        Members of the 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force pour cement into the foundation system to support a build during construction, Dec. 23, 2018 at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates.REDHORSE and Prime BEEF build up Al Dhafra AB
                        
                        
                        Members of the 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force pour cement into the foundation system to support a build during construction, Dec. 23, 2018, at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. Other completed projects include a 320-room renovation totaling $840,000, a $1.4 million renovation of the Oasis Dining Facility, and several waterline, sewer line, and communication duct bank construction projects. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Darnell T. Cannady)
                
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REDHORSE and Prime BEEF building up ADABPublished Jan. 6, 2019
                    
                    By Tech. Sgt. Darnell T. Cannady
                    
                    
                    380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
            **AL DHAFRA AIR BASE, United Arab Emirates (AFNS)  --**The 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group provides theater-wide engineering technical services, light and heavy troop labor construction and repairs within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in order to engineer combat power and establish and sustain combat platforms for USCENTCOM and other joint forces.Within the 1st CEG are the 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force, or PRIME BEEF, and the 557th Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron, or REDHORSE, both sister tenants consisting of two separate construction teams with separate projects at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. REDHORSE is a self-sustaining, mobile, heavy construction squadron, capable of rapid response and independent operations in remote, high-threat environments worldwide.“We have teams all over the AOR building anything from taxiways on airfields to entire logistics support areas, to digging wells to provide water for bases in austere locations,” said Capt. Jared Erickson, 557th ERHS Al Dhafra AB site officer in charge.“My team here on (Al Dhafra AB) is almost like a miniature mission support group,” added Erickson. “We have highly-skilled vehicle maintainers that keep our heavy equipment fleet running strong and a supply team that can acquire construction materials from around the world. We are a self-sustaining construction team that can build almost anything, anywhere.”Two of the current projects the 557th ERHS are working on are a warehouse for airfield damage repair equipment and a new Patriot Missile site.“We are building a 13,000-square-foot warehouse to store and protect ($19.7 million) worth of airfield damage repair equipment,” said Erickson. “Additionally, we are in the process of finalizing the new Patriot Missile site, including 15 different projects valued at ($12.8 million) for roads, launcher pads, sunshades, tents and an electrical distribution system.”The 577th Expeditionary PRIME BEEF Squadron provides a full range of engineering support required to establish, operate, and maintain garrison and contingency air bases. Prime-BEEF forces maintain the necessary equipment and personnel to support fire emergency services; expedient construction; explosive incident response; emergency management; chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response and many other specialized mission duties.“The 577th EPBS is composed of Civil Engineering Air Force Specialty Codes, but have a separate role from base CE as we perform major construction and repair projects for (U.S. Air Forces Central Command),” said Capt. Paige Blackburn, 577 EPBS OIC of troop construction.Currently, they are constructing a site by building an 18-foot tall mound and foundation to support a tower.“The foundation system is made entirely from concrete and the site will have several miles of reinforcing steel rebar,” said Blackburn. “The tower and equipment weighs more than 120,000 pounds and is attached by large anchor bolts cast into the concrete piers. The tolerance of anchor bolt placement is extremely critical to ensure the tower frame will fit perfectly.”Projects such as this can be challenging and require the use of different techniques and skillsets to complete the task.“Setting the anchor bolts perfectly was incredibly challenging,” added Blackburn. “To set this accurately required age-old techniques of steel tape, construction squares, basic trigonometry, true ingenuity and nearly all the ladders on base. Thankfully, we have Master Sgt. James Morgan, a Heavy and Construction Equipment expert Guardsman with 30 years of construction experience. The project involves a 15-person construction team.”Other completed projects include a 320-room renovation totaling $840,000, a $1.4 million renovation of the Oasis Dining Facility, and several waterline, sewer line, and communication duct bank construction projects.“(1st) ECEG is the preferred choice for projects that require a rapid construction completion date, and is also the safer option for construction that intertwines with sensitive and valuable information,” said Blackburn.With the REDHORSE and Prime BEEF Squadrons providing their expertise throughout Al Dhafra AB, the base continues to improve for the next rotation of deployers and continuation of the mission.Air Force 



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