NEW LONDON, N.C. – U.S. Airmen from the North Carolina Guard’s 145th Civil Engineer Squadron, or CES, participated in Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force, or BEEF, week 2026 at the Regional Training Site, Feb. 23-27.
Prime BEEF Week serves as a readiness exercise, allowing Airmen to demonstrate proficiency in their primary functions through simulated wartime tasks that support airfield operations in austere environments. Rather than focusing on computer-based training requirements for this week, this exercise emphasized hands-on execution, integrated operations and coordination across multiple career fields within civil engineering.
“The goal of this week was to execute and evaluate our wartime task standards with several subject matter experts removed from various shops as they taught and oversaw the readiness training,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Robert Raab, 145th CES, civil engineer. “It’s not just about checking a training requirement – it’s about proving that we can perform specific tasks at a proficient level.”
Wartime task standards differ from recurring administrative training in that they measure an Airman’s ability to execute mission-essential operations under contingency conditions. For Airmen, it includes assessing airfield damage, operating an emergency operations center, establishing and supporting base operations and conducting integrated base defense.
“This kind of training builds confidence,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Keegan Lumley, 145th CES, engineering assistant. “They are familiar with the equipment, but putting it all together in a contingency mindset is different. It prepares them to operate under pressure."
Prime BEEF week is designed to evolve each year, targeting different readiness requirements while retaining its core mission: maintain, construct and recover infrastructure and facilities as needed to support mission readiness.