[richlevy]

Originally Posted by OnyxCougar

Gah. The ex was in RED HORSE in the AF, and *I* know what Prime Beef is.
*sigh*

Thanks to the Internet

Prime BEEF
Prime base engineer emergency force (Prime BEEF) is an Air Force headquarters, major command, and base-level program that "organizes civil engineering force teams for worldwide direct and indirect combat support roles" (Air Force Pamphlet 93-12). It assigns civilian employees and military personnel to peacetime real property maintenance and wartime engineering functions. Prime BEEF is made up of 50-, 100-, 150-, and 200-man teams of major command-assigned civil engineering personnel identified by selected skills and designated as Prime BEEF-deployable. The major command then places these selected individuals on mobility status; when called upon collectively, they become the Prime BEEF team. Selected pieces of equipment are also earmarked for deployment status to accompany the deployment team.

All Prime BEEF forces are Combat Support [CS] forces that are generally configured as squadrons and teams. Their mission is to provide CS to the air combat forces which are, or may become, a part of a theater, command, or task force formed for combat operations. These civil-engineering base units are organic at essentially all major CONUS and overseas Air Force bases in order to provide peacetime real-property maintenance capability. This capability is totally integrated into the peacetime force structure and provides the operational commander with the flexibility of employing weapons systems without depending on others. A similar organic civil-engineering capability in the form of Prime BEEF CS forces will accompany deploying flying squadrons when they go to war.