U.S. NAVY GETS READY FOR SUPER TYPHOON NEOGURI

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Sailors in Okinawa Brace for Super Typhoon

By Navy Chief Petty Officer Kimberley Martinez

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1

OKINAWA, Japan, July 7, 2014 – Sailors from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 are bracing and preparing for the impact of Super Typhoon Neoguri, forecasted to arrive here as a Category 5 strength storm tomorrow.
NMCB 1 sailors spent July 6 and 7 storing items, sandbagging ground-level entrances subject to flooding and staging tactical vehicles, water dispensers and packaged meals throughout Camp Shields.

“Right now, we’re finishing up securing the camp, tying up and putting away anything that is not immobile so that nothing will become a projectile hazard throughout Camp Shields,” said Navy Command Master Chief Petty Officer Dean Fischer, the battalion’s command master chief.

Although Super Typhoon Neoguri has wind gusts at more than 150 mph according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the Seabees are adept in natural disaster preparation and the relief efforts, which may be needed in the storm’s aftermath, Fischer said.

“Typhoon season pretty much aligns with hurricane season back home in Mississippi, so Gulfport Seabees have a very long history of dealing with TCCOR [tropical storm condition of readiness] conditions,” the command master chief said. “All of the engineering assets on Okinawa will be in contact before, during and after the storm coordinating anything they would need. For us, the primary mission would be to support the Navy bases, the Marine Corps and the Air Force bases.”

Typhoon season officially runs from June through November. According to AccuWeather.com meteorologists, Neoguri will still be a super typhoon when it crosses the gap between the Ryukyu Islands of Miyako Jima and Okinawa.
NMCB 1 sailors are making the best of a stormy outlook, preparing to hunker down in their barracks until they receive an all-clear notice from their chain of command.

“I will take accountability of all of the personnel in my building continue to maintain their safety throughout the storm and make sure they have food and water,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Johnny Turner, a yeoman. “Our mustering point will be in our lounge area, where we will meet and get accountability to the command mustering point of contact, and while we ride out the storm, it will be an opportunity for us to bond [and] relax after working hard to secure the base.”
Master Chief Petty Officer Benno Lederer, Camp Shields officer in charge, said that because of NMCB 1’s diligent efforts in preparing for the typhoon, Camp Shields is braced for the storm well ahead of schedule.

“All NMCB 1 and 30th Naval Construction Regiment typhoon preparations are done, and we are prepared for the storm,” he said. The sailors will begin lockdown for Tropical Cyclone Conditions of Readiness 1 late today or early tomorrow and are expected to be in that state until July 9 or 10, he added.
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 is deployed to Okinawa as part of its 2014 deployment.

U.S. AND JAPAN AGREE ON TROOP RELOCATION TO GUAM

Seabees with U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1, Guam Det., and the 30th Naval Construction Regiment examine the Orote Point rock quarry on board Naval Base Guam.
Photos:  U.S. Navy

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
U.S., Japan Agree on Okinawa Troop Relocation
By Karen Parrish
WASHINGTON, April 27, 2012 - U.S. and Japanese officials announced yesterday the two nations have agreed on a plan to relocate U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
The joint statement of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee spells out unit moves, land and facilities on Okinawa the United States will return to the Japanese government, and the costs each government will pay for the relocation.

The joint statement is the latest result of negotiations between the two countries dating to the 2006 Realignment Roadmap and the 2009 Guam International Agreement. The two nations issued a joint defense posture statement in February that "delinked" the two agreements so parts of the relocation plan could move forward more quickly.
"I am very pleased that, after many years, we have reached this important agreement and plan of action," Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said in a statement yesterday. He praised Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka for "spearheading discussions" leading to the joint statement.

"We will work closely with our partners in the Japanese Self Defense Force to implement these decisions and to further improve this vital alliance of ours," the secretary added.
Panetta said he looks forward to strengthening the two nations' partnership "as, together, we address security challenges in the region."

Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Five (EODMU-5), wash off in a creek after a full day of jungle warfare training exercises.  Okinawa, Japan.

During a Pentagon background briefing to reporters yesterday, senior State and Defense Department officials outlined the agreement.

About 9,000 Marines will relocate from Okinawa, with about 5,000 moving to Guam and the rest transferring to other locations in the Pacific such as Hawaii and Australia, the defense official said.

The Marines will be organized in air-ground task forces, which combine command, ground, air and logistics elements that can deploy and operate as a unit.
"This new posture that we've created results in a more operationally effective presence across the region," the defense official said.
"In the end, we are sustaining the same presence in the Western Pacific that we've intended for some time," the official added.

About 10,000 Marines will remain on Okinawa when the relocation is complete, the official said.

The agreement also sets Japan's funding for the move to Guam at $3.1 billion of the overall $8.6 billion estimated cost, the defense official added.
"We're particularly appreciative of this commitment in the context of Japan's fiscal challenges, which we fully recognize," the official added.

One element of the agreement involves possible development of joint training ranges in Guam and the commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands as shared-use facilities for U.S. and Japanese forces, the official said.

The State Department official said the plan will result in a stronger, more sustainable and more flexible alliance.

"This is really a key component of our strategic rebalancing toward the Asia-Pacific region," the official said. "As you know, one of the key aspects of that is strengthening partnerships with regional allies, and of course Japan is a very important alliance partner."

The official said the agreement reaffirms both nations' commitment to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, now in the center of Okinawa's Ginowan City, to a more remote area of the island. Until the Futenma relocation happens, both governments will share the cost of maintaining the existing facility, the official added.

The Japanese government will determine the timeline for the Futenma move, the State Department official said, noting the U.S. focus for Okinawa is sustaining an operationally effective Marine Corps presence there.

The defense official said U.S. representatives are "delighted" at the agreement.
"We think it's a significant achievement that demonstrates that the U.S.-Japan alliance is still capable of big things," the official said.

MILITARY WAREHOUSE PERSONNEL TAKE CARE OF THEIR BATTAION

FROM: AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Marine Corps Lance Cpls. Lud G. Romain, left, Lagrima C. Urista, center, and Brian A. Yanez take a break from supply warehouse duties at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Mark Stroud

Face of Defense: Warehouse Clerks Band Together
By Marine Corps Cpl. Mark Stroud
1st Marine Logistics Group
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan, April 16, 2012 - Three Marines here make sure their fellow Marines have everything they need.

"Pretty much everything anyone has out here came through supply at one point," said Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Lud G. Romain, assistant warehouse chief, Combat Logistics Battalion 4, 1st Marine Logistics Group. "We have three lance corporals in the warehouse taking care of the entire battalion."

Once the supply warehouse meets the battalion's supply needs, CLB-4 provides direct combat logistics support to Regimental Combat Team 6.

Romain and one of the other supply warehouse clerks, Lance Cpl. Brian A. Yanez, began their journey together at the birthplace of many Marine Corps friendships -- military occupational school. Lance Cpl. Lagrima C. Urista, another supply warehouse clerk, joined the duo shortly afterward at their first duty station, Camp Foster, Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Japan.

"Romain and I had already been a good team on Okinawa when we first met Urista, but when we did, we knew we had found someone who was going to be a great addition," Yanez said.

Their group bonded by day at work and explored Okinawa by night, taking advantage of the recreational and historical sites on the island, Urista said. Less than two years into their careers, their service has already taken them across thousands of miles, with stops in five countries on two continents.

"We first met in Japan, but since then we have been on training exercises or deployments in [South Korea], America, Kyrgyzstan and now Afghanistan," Yanez said.
Afghanistan's Helmand province is the most-recent stop for the supply Marines.
"I think we will look back at this deployment in 20 years as an opportunity that was given to us to rise to the challenge of taking on [noncommissioned officer] responsibilities as lance corporals," Yanez said. "[We] have always [had] responsibilities, but this is the first time we were given this level of responsibility. It is a good feeling knowing we are accomplishing the mission."

The Marines have learned to trust and rely on one another over the course of their friendship.

"It is always noticeable whenever one of us is out of the warehouse for training or convoys," Yanez said. "We have learned to rely on each other. When we are all here, everything thing runs perfectly smooth, but it becomes apparent how important each Marine is whenever one of us is gone."

The bonds formed during training have helped the Marines accomplish their mission, both individually and as a team. These bonds have given them experience beyond their rank.
"Each of them is capable of making their own decisions -- decisions that NCOs would normally make," said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Drew McDonald, CLB-4's supply warehouse chief. "They make a good team, and it helps them every day."
Romain, a Newark, N.J., native, uses his natural tenacity to complete his duties as assistant warehouse chief, Yanez said.

Yanez, a Buena Park, Calif., native, is a fixture around the CLB-4 compound, spending time as the Defense Reutilization Management Office NCO, assisting with base improvement projects and managing the DRMO pit, where excess or broken equipment is taken for disposal or reuse.

The junior Marine in the warehouse, Urista, a Vernon, Texas, native, brings a positive attitude to the table, motivating her fellow Marines on even the longest days while working as roll-back clerk, Yanez said.

The trio intends to continue their friendship long after the deployment is over, carrying the bonds they forged with their fellow Marines with them for the rest of their lives, Urista said.

"We will probably try to stay in contact, but even if we don't, we will take what we learned from each other and pass it on to the next group of Marines," Yanez said.