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Forward Area Refueling Point Tryouts Test Airmen for Special Operations

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Joseph Murvich, 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels distribution operator, squeegees a 300-ft. fuel hose while Senior Airman William Comstock, 18th LRS Forward Area Refueling Point team member, motivates him to finish during a FARP tryout event at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Jan. 17, 2020. Tryouts enabled the FARP team to identify and recruit the most mentally and physically capable LRS Airmen who will attend additional training in preparation for special operations at night and in austere environments in support of forward-deployed combat units.

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Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Conducts Force Level Summit 2020

Sgt. Maj. Troy E. Black, center, the 19th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, stands for a photo with fellow sergeants major during the Force Level Summit 2020 held in Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 15, 2020. The summit is a yearly event held to bring Force Level Sergeants Major together with the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps to discuss ideas, lessons learned and address current and future concerns of the Marine Corps in order to improve lethality and readiness.

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Shogun Maintainers Cool Off with New Shorts

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Adam Condon, 18th Component Maintenance Squadron resource advisor, transports maintenance shorts to his squadron Jan. 14, 2020, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The shorts are intended to alleviate some of the heat stress maintenance Airmen experience while operating under the hot Okinawa sun.

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18th Wing, Joint Partners Execute First WestPac Rumrunner Exercise

Three U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornets from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, fly in formation during Exercise WestPac Rumrunner Jan. 10, 2020. The WestPac Rumrunner exercise brought Airmen and joint partners together to train and execute innovative ways to deploy forces in a contested environment.

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18th Wing, Joint Partners Execute First WestPac Rumrunner Exercise

An HH-60G Pave Hawk assigned to the 33rd Rescue Squadron performs helicopter air-to-air refueling with an MC-130J Commando II from the 17th Special Operations Squadron above the Pacific Ocean during Exercise Westpac Rumrunner Jan. 10, 2020. Westpac Rumrunner represents an evolution of 18th Wing assets and capability to work with joint partners in defense of American allies and to ensure a free and open Indo‐Pacific.

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31st Marine Expeditionary Unit Maritime Raid Force begins Training Exercise in Hawaii

Marines and Sailors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Raid Force secure a simulated casualty during Visit, Board, Search and Seizure training in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Jan. 10, 2020. During VBSS training, the Marines hone their ship boarding and seizure capabilities to better perform maritime interdiction operations. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region.

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3rd Reconnaissance Battalion Relief and Appointment Ceremony

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Aaron Colling, with 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, speaks during his relief and appointment ceremony at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 18, 2019. This traditional ceremony symbolizes the passing of responsibilities from Sgt. Maj. Marcos A. Cordero to Sgt. Maj. Aaron Colling.

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Tinsel Town delivers snow, festivities to Okinawa

A woman pushes a child on a snow sled during the 18th Wing Tinsel Town event at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2019. Other events and games included a rock climbing wall, food trucks, and more.

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US Marines, sailors aboard MCB-Camp Butler take part in Security Augmentation Force Training

U.S. Marines and sailors aboard Marine Corps Base-Camp Smedley D. Butler execute the shotgun range during the Security Augmentation Force Training from Dec. 12, 2019 on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan. SAF training is essential to the Provost Marshal Office as it provides extra man power and security capabilities in case of an emergency on or off military installations.

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Three Midshipmen Train at Japan's National Defense Academy in Yokosuka

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Joseph McAlarnen, right, with 3D Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and Capt. Atsushi Kawabata, left, with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, brief during a Rehearsal of Concept drill, which simulates various courses of action with U.S. forces and Japanese member during Exercise Yama Sakura 77 on Camp Courtney, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 7, 2019. Participants included Marines from 3D MEB, Soldiers from U.S. Army I Corps and 40th Infantry Division, and members from the JGSDF Eastern Army and ARDB. Yama Sakura is a JGSDF and U.S. Army-led, bilateral Command Post Exercise that strengthens military operations, readiness, trust, and friendship between U.S. forces and the JGSDF.

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Kadena Innovators compete for AF-level honors

From left, Master Sgt. Joy McCammon, 718th Force Support Squadron casualty operations section chief, Staff Sgt. Alexander Nestle, 18th Communications Squadron software development supervisor, and Tech. Sgt. Christopher Sills, 18th CS NCO in charge of application development, stand for a photo at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 19, 2019. They are part of the PRAS team named as one of two U.S. Pacific Air Forces Spark Tank nominees to compete at the Air Force level.

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Non-commissioned Officer Bilateral Exchange: Growth through Connection

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Christian Lowery, 18th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, left, Japanese Self-Defense Force Staff Sgt. Shuichiro Masunaga, 6th Tactical Fighter Squadron aircraft general technician, middle, and U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Adrian Lemard, 18th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, right, train on changing tires on an F-15C Eagle as part of an NCO Bilateral Exchange program Nov. 19, 2019, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Bilateral exchanges allow for a better understanding of the capabilities held by each countries Armed Forces, as well as the opportunity to improve relations between the United States and Japan.

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NAVFAC visits NMCB-5 Seabees during INDOPACOM deployment

Chief Builder Steven Jennings (front right), deployed with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5, discusses the Table of Allowance warehouse inventory system with Rear Adm. John W. Korka (second left), Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, during a tour on board Camp Shields, Okinawa, Japan. 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.

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US-Japan Alliance Strengthens as Leaders Unite

U.S. military and Japan Self-Defense Forces leaders conduct an annual Joint Bilateral Senior Enlisted Symposium at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 5, 2019. More than 50 members came together to discuss challenges and improvements to military interoperability between the two nations. With growing adversarial competition throughout the Pacific Theater, U.S. and Japanese military leaders increase efforts to unify strategic thinking across the alliance.

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Naha Port Undergoes First Dredging in 30 Years

A view of dredging at Naha Military Port from across the harbor. Dredging equipment remained idle at Naha Military Port on Sept. 23, awaiting the all clear following passage of Large Typhoon Tapah, which caused strong winds and rough seas as it went through on Sept. 21.

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Team Kadena Operators Honor Ultimate Sacrifice

U.S. Airmen and family members with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron and the 31st Rescue Squadron conduct a memorial ruck march at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Oct. 25, 2019. The ruck featured over 1,000 lbs. of equipment and water hauled across five miles. The memorial ruck served as a symbolic gesture of shared suffering among special operations forces service members, in honor of two pararescueman, Tech. Sgts. Peter Kraines and Sean Barnes who died after sustaining injuries during training incidents in 2014 and 2019.

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1st Marine Aircraft Wing Rapid Deployment Exercise

CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters sit on the tarmac in preperation for a rapid deployment exercise conducted by 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditioary Force in Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 24, 2019. As the only forward deployed MEF, III MEF is strategically postured to quickly and effectively respond to any crisis using austere, expeditionary bases and established airfields within the Indo-Pacific region.

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NMCB 4 completes Indo-Pacific deployment, relieved by NMCB 5

OKINAWA, Japan (Oct. 15, 2019) - Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion , raise the battalion colors during the transfer of authority ceremony where NMCB 4 was relieved by NMCB 5 as the deployed Indo-Pacific battalion. 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 ensure a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Matthew R. White)

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MARFORPAC Initiates Simulated Crisis Action Drill: 31st MEU Rapidly Responds

Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Marines with Marine Aircraft Group 36 conduct a decontamination during a “no-notice” embassy reinforcement and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear response drill on Camp Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 31, 2019. The exercise demonstrated the MEU’s ability to conduct planning, insertion, execution, and retrograde at distances of up to 600 miles within 72 hours. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region.

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Naha Port Undergoes First Dredging in 30 Years

A view of dredging at Naha Military Port from across the harbor. Dredging equipment remained idle at Naha Military Port on Sept. 23, awaiting the all clear following passage of Large Typhoon Tapah, which caused strong winds and rough seas as it went through on Sept. 21.

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