Engineering the impossible: Dyess Airmen set the foundation for historic Caribbean missions

DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- While home-station personnel at Dyess Air Force Base battled severe winter snowstorms to keep their airfield open, Airmen deployed 2,300 miles away were breaking ground in the tropical heat of the Caribbean. Despite the extreme contrast in climates, these teams operated with a singular focus: projecting combat airpower in support of Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR.

In what became the fastest military buildup in the Caribbean in 64 years, Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen proved their capabilities extend far beyond traditional long-range strike operations. Operating under the 346th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron, deployed expeditionary forces showcased the command’s expanding role in expeditionary combat support and agile power projection by executing a beddown from the ground up.

“Our Airmen demonstrated incredible resilience, operating in two completely different climates to support a single mission 2,300 miles apart,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Jason Hernandez, 7th Civil Engineer Squadron director of operations. “Global Strike is not just about aircraft—it is about access, infrastructure and the ability to generate combat power anywhere in the world.”

At the operational forefront of this massive integration within the 346th EABS were two senior noncommissioned officers from the 7th Civil Engineer Squadron at Dyess AFB: Senior Master Sgt. Patrick Brooks, 7th CES Operations Flight superintendent, and Senior Master Sgt. Andrew Sanders, 7th CES Readiness and Emergency Management flight chief. Serving as senior enlisted leaders, they directed the engineering effort and linked AFGSC forces to the broader power projection executed during the mission.

Under their leadership, the deployed engineering force brought together a diverse mix of capabilities across the Air Force. Demonstrating a unique AFGSC synergy, Airmen from Ellsworth AFB comprised approximately one-third of the deployed engineering force, providing the bulk of the expeditionary manpower, while additional expertise from McConnell and Luke AFBs enabled rapid beddown operations.

“Where most saw condemned facilities, our CE Airmen saw potential,” Brooks said. “This deployment showcased what civil engineers do better than anyone: we build combat power where none exists. We restore installations in resource-limited environments to enable every other mission set to fly, fix and fight.”

Upon arrival, engineering teams conducted rapid site assessments across multiple locations. The most daunting challenge was the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico. Dormant for more than 22 years, the site was a dormant landscape of rusted steel, fractured pavements, overgrown taxiways and zero power.

With limited existing infrastructure, the 346th EABS engineers executed a full-spectrum beddown. The teams worked relentlessly to transform the dormant installation into a central joint operating hub.

To restore airfield operations, they restored a long-unused air traffic control tower, repairing power and HVAC systems to establish full control of the airspace. On the ground, Airmen executed expedient repairs, fixing more than 300 concrete spalls across the runway and taxiways and completed a massive airfield painting contract to mitigate foreign object debris.

Aircraft survivability and recovery were bolstered by the rapid installation of two mobile aircraft arresting systems and a solar-powered emergency airfield lighting system. Meanwhile, to sustain combat capabilities, the teams converted an unused runway into a securable 560,000-square-foot munitions storage area.

The engineers also built the infrastructure needed to sustain the broader mission, constructing two fully functional tent cities for follow-on forces and restoring dilapidated structures to support 18 joint mission partners. Facing inconsistent commercial power, they constructed expeditionary micro-power grids to sustain command and control, aircraft maintenance and life support functions. They even developed a first-of-its-kind QR-code work task system to centralize and accelerate mission requirements.

Across the region, civil engineers established fire and emergency services, explosive ordnance disposal operations and readiness and emergency management protocols. Fusing engineering expertise with defensive planning, they stood up a force protection team to secure the emerging installations.

As operations expanded, the 346th EABS established a cluster base network linking multiple expeditionary airfields across Puerto Rico and St. Croix. This network enabled distributed airpower operations and increased operational flexibility across the region.

During the execution of Operation ABSOLUTE RESOLVE, that capability was put to the ultimate test. More than 60 percent of the aircraft involved in a historic night raid were generated, launched or recovered from airfields enabled by the engineering force. While B-1B Lancer aircraft operated as part of the joint force, the expeditionary basing network established by the engineers expanded operational access and set the theater conditions required for the successful execution of combat operations.

The success of this mission challenges traditional perceptions of AFGSC’s role. Rather than operating exclusively from established main operating bases, AFGSC Airmen demonstrated the ability to deploy rapidly under crisis conditions, establish operational airfields from austere environments, and enable agile power projection through theater-level infrastructure.

By integrating seamlessly with elements from the U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. Marine Corps, Puerto Rican Air National Guard and numerous special mission partners, CE Airmen became the connective tissue enabling every service’s ability to operate, maneuver and sustain.

“Many are impressed by what CE Airmen can build from nothing and how seamlessly they integrate across joint mission sets,” Sanders said. “But to the engineers, this isn’t extraordinary. This is our job and we are incredibly good at it.”

From a dormant airfield to a network of operational bases, Dyess-led engineers and their joint partners engineered the impossible and delivered combat power.