GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Airmen assigned to the 319th Civil Engineer Squadron took part in their first Prime Base Engineer Emergency Forces exercise on July 14, 2022, at Grand Forks Air Force Base.
The exercise employed the Agile Combat Employment concept, focusing on growing Multi-Capable Airmen who can accomplish tasks outside their career field while in austere environments. Members from seven different CES specialties participated.
“The main goal for our Prime BEEF training was to show our unit’s ability to perform tier-1 Multi-Capable Airmen skills at a proficient level while in a contested, degraded, and operationally limited environment,” said Tech. Sgt. Christopher Taylor, 319th CES Prime BEEF training instructor. “Our Airmen need to operate both independently and as a team to accomplish mission objectives within acceptable levels of risks.”
The training day allowed Airmen to exercise and conduct simulated deployment operations, which included land navigation, troop movement, and Tactical Combat Casualty Care.
One of the ways the CES managed their MCA/ACE objective was through integrating Security Forces protection experts, who familiarized Airmen with munitions and weapons training.
“It is essential to develop Airmen within the squadron who can prepare, equip, and adapt to ever-changing security environments,” said Tech. Sgt. Ishmael Hughes, 319th CES Prime BEEF training instructor. “We prioritized developing, training, and equipping Airmen to understand the increased risks of a contested environment.”
According to Taylor, with operational environments constantly shifting and commencing, like operations in Afghanistan, it’s imperative that Airmen are sound in mind and ability. As the Air Force continues to advance towards ACE, specialists must be able to rapidly execute operations from various locations with integrated capabilities and interoperability.
“The shift in how we exercise is imperative,” said Master Sgt. Hersey Pulley, 319th CES Prime BEEF manager. "The ability to outpace our near-peer adversaries hinges on us being able to quickly and effectively counter multi-domain threats."