 will do, have done. This is the model of the world's best self-sustaining combat engineering and heavy construction force. Rapidly deployable, anytime, anywhere. These highly trained and versatile units are known as Red Horse or Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers. Globally, Red Horse missions are spanning the continents of the world. Their mission for humanitarian assistance and the needs of our military in preparation for war. To Bolivia. Building a new schoolhouse for children and drilling for fresh water. In Aldafra. Building structures for an airbase. To Jamaica for humanitarian needs. Masira Island. Building runways. Cutter headquarters of the war on terrorism. Active-duty Red Horse Squadron consists of 404 personnel and approximately 1,400 short tons of vehicles and heavy construction and support equipment. They contain force protection capabilities for operation in conventional threat environments. Are capable of performing organic logistics operations to include supply, minor vehicle and equipment operations and maintenance, food services and mortuary affairs. Until the mid 1960s the Air Force lacked the civil engineering capability to quickly provide support for bomb damage repair or provide expeditionary airfields and austere facilities in combat areas. Although prime base engineer emergency forces or prime beef teams gave the Air Force a mobile capability, they lacked the heavy equipment and skills necessary to augment base engineer forces in the event of heavy bomb damage or disasters as well as accomplish major bed down construction or major repairs where contract capability was not readily available. So in November of 1965 the first Red Horse Squadrons were organized and deployed to Southeast Asia in support of the war efforts. Since the conflict they have taken part in humanitarian civic actions, natural disaster recoveries, the Persian Gulf War and more recently the War on Terrorism. In today's Air Force there are four activity Red Horse Squadrons, one Air Force Reserve Squadron and two Air National Guard Squadrons located in South Korea, Italy, Montana, Nevada, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Red Horse units are wartime structured to provide a heavier engineer capability than prime beef teams. They are not tied to a specific weapon system and are not responsible for base operations, maintenance or sustainment. They are mobile, rapidly deployable and largely self-sufficient for limited periods of time. They perform the wartime task of major horse bed down, heavy damage repair, bare base development and heavy construction operations. Red Horse is not assigned to an air base to perform peacetime operations and maintenance but rather was formed specifically to meet wartime needs. Its composition is based on wartime requirements. Its primary mission in peacetime is to train for wartime and the squadrons represent the most proficient combat engineering capability in the Air Force. As the lead engineer resource in any conflict situation, they must be the most capable Air Force engineering unit in the field when it comes to the initial wartime requirements affecting the launch, recovery and operations of Air Force combat aircraft. Effective training is the basic sustaining factor for Red Horse squadrons. Their mission demands an aggressive on-the-job training program be maintained. The majority of Red Horse efforts must be directed toward developing infrastructure, heavy repair and construction related missions. Red Horse units are specifically known for many of their specialized capabilities. They provide specialized vertical construction in many aspects such as large frame buildings, contingency hangar and facility erection, installation of utility systems and interior exterior electrical operations. Some new technologies just recently implemented by Red Horse squadrons are the use of insulated concrete forms for rapid and cost-effective building construction and concrete tilt-up operations. These two innovative designs were first used by the horse on projects in the Azores and Guam in 2000. Automatic building machines or case spans are used for covered storage, aircraft parking shelters, sunshades or totally enclosed temporary facilities. The units also perform carpentry, metalworking, masonry, plumbing and power generation and are quick and versatile in the installation of revetments for aircraft and facility protection. Red Horse units are also expedient in site preparation and installation of barriers using mobile aircraft arresting systems and they specialize in the installation and site preparation of contingency airfield lighting. Red Horse provides specialized horizontal construction capabilities to build roads, asphalt or concrete surface construction, heavy earth moving and airfields, taxiways or ramp extensions expansions. They also have their own concrete mobile deployable repair system that can produce over 30 cubic yards of concrete per hour at a sustained rate. They have the production capability in asphalt and concrete plant operations for airfield and road expansion at repair in support of weapon system bed-downs. This enables this highly versatile combat engineer squadron to produce asphalt and concrete when local capabilities are unable to support air force efforts to bed down or expand operations. Furthermore they perform rock quarry activities for aggregate production in support of airfield and road construction, sub-graze stabilization, concrete and asphalt production, revetment fill and rapid runway repair activities. Red Horse units also possess the capability to perform their own materials testing in the field or in their own laboratory that enables quick time results and provides the engineer on site immediate answers. They provide base denial to include fire destruction, explosive demolition, component removal, equipment sabotage and mechanical destruction. In addition Red Horse units have the ability to drill and pipe to utilize groundwater sources for the production of potable and non-potable water. Currently Red Horse holds the record in the military for the deepest well dug at over 1,500 feet and as the air force adapts to an ever-changing world so does Red Horse. The newest mission? An airborne Red Horse team with the combat engineer capability to assess, prepare and establish contingency air bases in remote locations through airdrop, air insertion or air delivery. Within one year after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th 2001 the Red Horse units have been called upon to construct a $9 million parking apron ramp at Al-Udeed Air Base, Qatar. A $17 million parking ramp in Hangars at Al-Dafra Air Base United Arab Emirates, an $18 million runway reconstruction and airfield lighting project at Masira Island, Oman and a $27 million parking ramp at Thummarate, Oman. In accomplishment in support of Air Force weapon systems in both operations and contingencies has demonstrated the value of Red Horse for the Air Force. From the jungles of Southeast Asia to the deserts of the Middle East, Red Horse personnel have carried on their proud tradition of service to the Air Force and the United States for more than a quarter of a century. They have shown that their unique capabilities and skills are indispensable in both war and peace.