332D AIR EXPEDITIONARY WING -- The 332d Air Expeditionary Wing needs power and it’s the 332d Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron who provides it. Likewise, water management, climate control, electrical support, pest management, dirt and concrete, structure erection and even door knobs falls into the responsibilities of the 332d ECES Operations Flight to provide to the Red Tails team.
“Our primary responsibility here on the installation is to keep the facilities in both the life support area and the operations area running, along with all the infrastructure that goes along with that,” said Senior Master Sgt. Danny Barber, 332d ECES operations flight superintendent. “Power for food, hot water in the showers, flushing toilets, and air conditioning are quality of life issues that also help morale.”
While Airmen are said to be the greatest asset of the Air Force, it’s a combination of the professionals, systems, and equipment that enable the 332d AEW to deliver and sustain combat airpower and enhance regional security.
The physical comforts of wing residents is a large part of what the operations flight does but having the manpower and procedures providing that quality of life stems from computer and server requirements: keeping them powered, cool, and with network is imperative, said Barber.
“We need that infrastructure for all the intelligence and computer work, to do our best work, and to complete our missions,” said Barber.
In a typical CES there are five sections, but in a deployed environment there are six. The operations section provides maintenance and normal infrastructure utility-type work while the engineering flight manages larger scale designs that have to be engineered from inception through the completion of a construction project. The explosive ordnance team disposes of any explosives on the installation and the emergency management flight handles all the bunkers, training on how to respond during an attack, and post-attack reconnaissance. The 332d AEW Fire Department provides base fire prevention and protection and works in a multilateral environment, training with partners on multiple types of emergencies and aircraft response procedures. The sixth section is Force Protection which handles all escort duties for the contractors and local nationals that work on base.
The ECES completes roughly 150 maintenance jobs or projects a week ranging anywhere from something as simple as changing a lock on a door to tasks such as a major multiple trades project requiring all six sections coordinating together to get it done, said Barber.
“Everybody's jumping in and working hard; there is no downtime. By keeping working conditions comfortable, we can continue focusing on what threats are around us, keep the jets in the air, and the flightline managed well and working properly,” said Barber.
The 332d ECES provides, operates, and maintains a sustainable installation through engineering and emergency response services across the full mission spectrum.