An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

Official websites use .mil

A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.

Secure .mil websites use HTTPS

A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Sort By

Category

Show Advanced Options

Clear Filters |

Okinawa III MEF Marines receive recognition for Big Ideas

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Jenkyn Kittrell and Gunnery Sgt. Luis Feliciano received recognition from the III Marine Expeditionary Force Commanding General, Lt. Gen. H. Stacy Clardy, III on Camp Courtney, Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 15, 2021. The Marines were a part of a group that participated in the Big Ideas Challenge. Their ideas will help pave the way for innovation in the Marine Corps.

Details Download

USS Curtis Wilbur departs Yokosuka, Japan after 25 years in U.S. 7th Fleet

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) departs Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, following 25 years of service as a forward-deployed ship to U.S. 7th Fleet. Curtis Wilbur is scheduled to join U.S. 3rd Fleet, which leads naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy.

Details Download

Osprey’s: Taking III MEF to the Next Level

III Marine Expeditionary Force depicts their Osprey through a graphic illustration, on Okinawa, Japan, August 19, 2021. This graphic illustration was created using Adobe Illustrator.

Details Download

Japanese State Minister of Defense Nakayama visits U.S. Cyber Command

U.S. Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, U.S. Cyber Command commander and National Security Agency director, meets with the Honorable Yasuhide Nakayama, Japan Ministry of Defense, State Minister of Defense, at Fort George G. Meade, Md., Aug. 9, 2021. Their meeting included discussion of the strategic security challenges in cyberspace and bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Japan.

Details Download

U.S. Navy and JMSDF Strengthen Ties through Mine Warfare Exercise 2JA

Sailors aboard USS Warrior (MCM 10) deploy a Mine Neutralization Vehicle while conducting mine hunting operations during 2JA Mine Warfare Exercise (MIWEX) in Mutsu Bay, Japan. 2JA MIWEX is an annual bilateral exercise between the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force to strengthen interoperability and increase proficiency in mine countermeasure operations

Details Download

Camp Zama BOSS Soldiers, JGSDF members build camaraderie through park clean-up

Sgt. Jennifer Jackson, right, assigned to Public Health Command – Pacific and president of the Camp Zama Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program, or BOSS, bags leaves with a member of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Noncommissioned Officers Association, “SoYou-kai,” June 22 at Zama Yatoyama Park, located near the installation. The BOSS Soldiers and JGSDF members volunteered to clean up the park together.

Details Download

RED HORSE Airmen expand Yokota’s airlift capability

Airmen assigned to the 800th RED HORSE Group, work together in a construction effort to expand a flightline apron June 30, 2021, at Yokota Air Base, Japan. The construction project requires Airmen assigned to the 823rd, 819th and 820th RED HORSE Squadrons to pour approximately 7,300 cubic meters of concrete and pave 650 tons of asphalt in a construction effort to increase aircraft parking capabilities at Yokota Air Base. The apron expansion is the first in an approximately four-year phased construction effort to enhance Yokota Air Base’s airlift mission capabilities.

Details Download

RED HORSE Airmen expand Yokota’s airlift capability

Airmen assigned to the 800th RED HORSE Group, level wet concrete as part of a construction project to expand a flightline apron June 30, 2021, at Yokota Air Base, Japan. The construction project requires Airmen assigned to the 823rd, 819th and 820th RED HORSE Squadrons to pour approximately 7,300 cubic meters of concrete and pave 650 tons of asphalt in a construction effort to increase aircraft parking capabilities at Yokota Air Base. The apron expansion is the first in an approximately four-year phased construction effort to enhance Yokota Air Base’s airlift mission capabilities.

Details Download

Wolf Pack develops skills, alliances at Red Flag-Alaska 21-2

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment “Black Lions,” 3rd Infantry Division, watch a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Bell UH-1 Iroquois land on Aibano Training Area, Japan, June 28, 2021, as part of exercise Orient Shield. Orient Shield is the largest U.S. Army and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force bilateral field training exercise being executed in various locations throughout Japan to enhance interoperability and test and refine multi-domain and cross-domain operations.

Details Download

Marines, NMCB-4 Seabees rehearse expeditionary advanced base operations

A CH-53E Super Stallion aircraft with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462 , airlifts Civil Engineering Support Equipment (CESE) and materials for a simulated Expeditionary Advanced Base onto W-174 Joint Okinawa Training Range Complex, an uninhabited island off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, in support of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4, as part of joint exercise Poseidon’s Watchtower. Poseidon’s Watchtower is a multi-domain exercise designed to simulate the establishment of Expeditionary Advanced Base operations through joint service integration.

Details Download

Fleet Week Japan Brings Americans, Japanese Partnership to New Heights

Vice Adm. Ryo Sakai, Japan Marine Self Defense Force, Commandant Yokosuka District and Rear Adm. Brian P. Fort, Commander Naval Forces Japan, Commander Navy Region Japan, pose for a photo with Sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) May 12. The two admirals met to discuss and promote the first Fleet Week Japan - Fleet Week New York Navy Sea Legs Fitness Challenge. During Fleet Week New York, participants will be encouraged to exercise their “sea legs”, with a different landmark chosen each day. The events will range from climbing the height of the Statue of Liberty (354 steps) to climbing the equivalent of Mount Fuji (19,600 steps)

Details Download

MWSS-172 MCCRE

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. David Waki, a bulk fuel specialist with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 172, refuels an AH-1Z Viper helicopter assigned to Marine Light Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 267 during a forward arming and refueling point training event as a part of a Marine Corps combat readiness evaluation (MCCRE) held by MWSS-172 at the Ie Shima training facility, Okinawa, Japan, April 15, 2021. The MCCRE creates a challenging, realistic training environment that produces combat-ready forces capable of operating as a deployed unit at any time.

Details Download

13th FS pilot wins JAAGA award, fortifies Japanese-American relations

U.S. Air Force Capt. Spencer “Boca” Rhoton, a 13th Fighter Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot, holds up the 13th FS call sign “Cave Putorium” (CP), while posing for a photo at Misawa Air Base, Japan, April 7, 2021. The Japan-American Air Force Goodwill Association (JAAGA) awards happen annually, honoring the top Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and U.S. Air Force (USAF) member who best contributes to building U.S.-Japan partnerships.

Details Download

Yokota Hosts Bilateral Aviation Safety

Airmen assigned to the 374th Airlift Wing, Tokyo Metropolitan Police, and Japan Coast Guardsmen pose for a group photo during the Mid-Air Collision Avoidance conference, Apr. 7, 2021, at Yokota Air Base, Japan. During the conference, the local aviators got an opportunity to tour Yokota facilities including the air traffic control tower.

Details Download

35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

U.S. Air Force Airmen prepare to launch 13th Fighter Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcons during a weeklong Agile Combat Employment training exercise aimed at enhancing Multi-Capable Airmen’s skillset at Misawa Air Base, Japan, March 16, 2020. Six 13th FS F-16 and a crew of 45 Airmen from various squadrons simulated a mock deployment to an “austere” environment on the south ramp of the flightline. The designated location is not regularly used and not optimized for advanced operations. (U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Melanie A. Bulow-Gonterman)

Details Download

Great East Japan Earthquake 10th Anniversary Ceremony

U.S. Air Force Col. Jesse Friedel (center), Misawa Air Base installation commander, celebrates with Japanese Air-Self Defense Force Maj. Gen. Takahiro Kubota (left), 3rd Air Wing commander, and Mr. Akio Takebayashi (right), Misawa Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, after dedicating the Misawa Officer’s Club Ballroom as the “Tomodachi Room” at Misawa Air Base, Japan, March 11, 2021. The room was dedicated on the 10-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and named after Operation Tomodachi.

Details Download

USAG Japan observes six minutes of silence in commemoration of 3/11 earthquake

From left, Steve Niederriter, deputy garrison commander, U.S. Army Garrison Japan; Col. Thomas Matelski, commander of USAG Japan; and USAG Japan Command Sgt. Maj. Justin Turner stand outside the headquarters building at Camp Zama, Japan, at 2:46 p.m. March 11, in commemoration of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck off the eastern coast of Japan 10 years ago.

Details Download

U.S. 7th Fleet, III Marine Expeditionary Force Conduct Staff Integration

Marines, assigned to III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) in Okinawa, Japan, and Sailors, assigned to U.S. 7th Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan, work side by side in support of a ten-week integration with U.S. 7th Fleet and III MEF. The focus of the integration is to ensure the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aligns with the National Defense Strategy. U.S. 7th Fleet routinely operates and interacts with 35 maritime nations while conducting missions to preserve and protect a free and open Indo-Pacific Region.

Details Download

U.S., Japan Coast Guard strengthen capabilities through joint exercise

Ships from the U.S. Coast Guard and Japan Coast Guard conducted exercises near the Ogasawara Islands of Japan, Feb. 21, 2021. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball and Japan Coast Guard Ship Akitsushima, two of the respective services’ newest and most capable vessels, operated alongside response boats to practice interdicting foreign vessels operating illegally inside Japanese waters.

Details Download

From Okinawa To Palau – Marines Exercise Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations During MEFEX 21

Marines with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 152 and Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 172, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), conducted an expeditionary refueling exercise with a U.S. Navy Poseidon P-8 with Patrol Squadron 5 during MEFEX 21, in Airai Republic of Palau, February 7, 2021. The exercise showcased the survivability and lethality of the Navy and Marine Corps team while operating in a distributed maritime environment.

Details Download