Dyess airmen lay the groundwork for historic Caribbean missions

Airmen from Dyess Air Force Base and across Air Force Global Strike Command rapidly turned dormant facilities in the Caribbean into a network of operational airfields to support Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR, even as crews back in Texas fought severe snowstorms to keep Dyess’ own runway open. The effort, which the Air Force cast as the fastest military buildup in the Caribbean in 64 years, underscored the command’s expanding role in expeditionary combat support and agile power projection.

“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.”

Operating under the 346th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron, two senior noncommissioned officers from Dyess—Senior Master Sgt. Patrick Brooks, operations flight superintendent, and Senior Master Sgt. Andrew Sanders, readiness and emergency management flight chief—served as senior enlisted leaders for the engineering push that linked AFGSC forces to the wider theater mission. They led a blended team that drew about one-third of its engineering manpower from Ellsworth AFB and added specialists from McConnell and Luke AFBs to accelerate 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.”

The most demanding site was the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico, which had sat idle for more than two decades. Engineers arrived to fractured pavement, overgrown taxiways, rusted structures and no power. They executed a full-spectrum beddown, reviving a long-unused air traffic control tower by repairing power and HVAC systems, repairing more than 300 concrete spalls across runways and taxiways, and completing extensive airfield painting to reduce foreign object debris.

To support aircraft survivability and recovery, teams installed two mobile aircraft arresting systems and a solar-powered emergency lighting system. They converted an unused runway into a securable 560,000-square-foot munitions storage area, built two tent cities for follow-on forces, and refurbished degraded buildings to host 18 joint mission partners. With commercial power inconsistent, engineers constructed expeditionary micro-grids to sustain command and control, maintenance and life support, and introduced a first-of-its-kind QR-code work task system to streamline requirements.

Across the region, civil engineers stood up fire and emergency services, explosive ordnance disposal operations, and readiness and emergency management protocols, while also organizing a force protection team to secure the new operating sites. As the mission expanded, the 346th EABS linked multiple expeditionary airfields across Puerto Rico and St. Croix into a cluster base network to enable distributed airpower and greater flexibility.

That network was stress-tested during Operation ABSOLUTE RESOLVE, when more than 60 percent of the aircraft participating in a historic night raid were generated, launched or recovered from engineer-enabled airfields. While B-1B Lancer aircraft flew as part of the joint force, the basing architecture established by the engineering teams widened operational access and set conditions for combat success.

The operation highlights a shift in how AFGSC can be employed, demonstrating the ability to deploy rapidly under crisis conditions, build out airfields from austere starting points and support agile power projection across a theater. The engineers integrated with the U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. Marine Corps, the Puerto Rican Air National Guard and other special-mission partners, providing the connective infrastructure 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.”