OKINAWA, Japan -- Rear Adm. John W. Korka, Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, and Force Master Chief Delbert Terrell Jr., Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), visited the U.S. Navy Seabees deployed with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5 on board Camp Shields, Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 15.

Cmdr. Ryan Carey, commanding officer, NMCB-5, and Command Master Chief Frederick Martinez, NMCB-5, welcomed Korka and Terrell and briefed them on the current deployment missions.

During the visit, Korka and Terrell addressed the Seabees at an all-hands call and discussed what U.S. Navy Seabees bring to the table, their commitment to serve, and how that commitment aligns with their occupational skills.

“Always come to work with your game uniform on, your chin straps strapped on, ready to play,” said Korka. “We’re in a very volatile environment and the stakes are very high in this competition. What you’re doing in this part of the world is very important. Maintain that commitment to excellence, that determination, and that will to win and get the job done.

“We’re depending on you—I’m depending on you, your parents are depending on you, and America is depending on you to know your job, do your job, and to be ready,” said Korka. “You all are a highly talented group of individuals, and I know you are ready to accomplish any mission that comes your way.”

Korka and Terrell toured the facilities for a comprehensive look at some of the programs and projects happening at Camp Shields, such as current deployment tasking and goals, the K-Spans project, and the crane program, which are all critical in maintaining optimum readiness during the current deployment in the Indo-Pacific region.

During the tour, Builder 3rd Class Harley Johnston spoke to Korka about how her team hit the ground running to organize and inventory the entire Table of Allowance (TOA) warehouse of 190 triple containers; and how they continually work to strategically standardize and maintain the warehouse for construction readiness operations. The TOA warehouse maintains the required equipment and materials to support the battalion’s operational missions, such as Humanitarian Aid/Disaster Relief (HA/DR) and Major Combat Operations (MCO).

“The program has been the same for years on end, so it’s a nice feeling to be able to actually get in there and improve the inventory system,” said Johnston. “If we get called for MCO, these are the materials we will actually need, and I would like the battalions to be ready at all times; so this job is very important.”

NMCB-5 is deployed across the Indo-Pacific region conducting high-quality construction to support U.S. and partner nations to strengthen partnerships, deter aggression, and enable expeditionary logistics and naval power projection. The battalion stands ready to support HA/DR and MCO throughout the region.