PHOENIX - Frequent mobilizations are still challenging the Air National Guard's civil engineers, but the planning, training and support for them has improved dramatically, Guard officials said here today.
"One of the big things as far as getting more Airmen acceptable of deploying is the mobilization portion," said Master Sgt. Jim Allen, who handles the Air Guard's deployments for civil engineers.
Civil engineers, who are voluntarily and involuntarily mobilized, now receive a one-year notice before they get "boots on the ground" for six months.
During this time, the engineers are able to notify employers and families and make arrangements for health care and family care.
The recent increase in health care coverage, 180 days prior to deployment, is just one of the improved benefits for activated Guardmembers.
"We, as the planners, have to do a lot more now, as far as getting them all of their benefits," said Allen, who attributed some of the changes to the Guard's continued recognition as an experienced, operational force.
So the tons of equipment and acres of command centers that civil engineers manage, improve, move, take home and stand up keep them in high demand at home and overseas.
There are 71 Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force, or Prime BEEF, squadrons in the Air Guard. They make up 20 percent of the engineering force in the war fight right now, Guard officials said.
Lt. Col. Rich Edwards deployed to Iraq in September 2006 as the base civil engineer commander for the New York Air Guard's 139th Prime Beef Squadron in Schenectady.
In what was a glimpse then of the near-standard deployment for Prime BEEF today, the New Yorkers deployed to Iraq with 40 Airmen from Edward's squadron and 27 more from a Syracuse, N.Y., unit who helped fill in their manning shortfalls.
Deploying as a home unit that trains together and fights together, like the 139th, is the standard they wanted and fought for, said Edwards.
"You have adversity and time together," he said. "When we came back, our unit was closer; we built up a lot of strong bonds."
And while civil engineers are managing mobilizations together, it's still a struggle for their installations to plan for their absence.
The Air Guard's Prime BEEF are charged with the facility management on their home bases.
"It's hard," said Bill Albro, the Air Guard's director of Installations and Mission Support. He said squadrons have always been required to have plans in place to operate if their Prime BEEF is deployed for war.
Edwards added that wing commanders must allow them to mobilize and should plan for their absence.
Base support comes through working with the state's federal asset managers, other in-state or out-of -state squadrons and even with the state police.
Installations also forgo construction projects until a unit's return, which makes good sense, said Albro.
About 400 Air Guard civil engineers joined with security forces Airmen at a conference here this week to discuss their challenges and issues in the war fight and in their installation support missions.
"This gives them an opportunity to get the right answers," said Allen. "You have people who just started in their positions and you have people in this room who have been in for 20 years.
"The objective here is to get them talking together. It allows us to network, bring expertise and train those people."