Nine Air Force civil engineer units contributed airmen to form a Prime BEEF team sent to help improve conditions at Contingency Operation Base Speicher, some 100 miles northwest of Baghdad. The COB is home to airmen, soldiers, sailors, and marines. The Prime BEEF team is working on everything from fixing lighting to constructing new buildings. Complicating the job is some inherited equipment that’s old and hard to maintain, not to mention scant supplies and little problems like getting the wrong parts.
Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence
Dec. 16, 2025
Exactly 100 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1925, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was convicted by court-martial for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the media. Mitchell’s provocative thoughts and unorthodox methods sought attention for a cause that he saw as uniquely American.
