YOKOHAMA, Japan -- Students from the Japanese Joint Staff College toured the Watercraft Equipment Base - Yokohama North Dock here, March 28.
The 49 lieutenant colonels and colonels are assigned to the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force, the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force and the Japanese Air Self Defense Force.
Lt. Col. Christopher Noe, commander, Army Field Support Battalion-Northeast Asia, gave an overview of Army Materiel Command's mission followed by a presentation of AFSBn-NEA's watercraft capability.
Capt. Tanaka Atsushi, JMSDF, the current 1st Instructor Officer Chief in the JSC asked about the response time of the delivery of Army Prepositioned Stocks -- 4 during contingency operations and humanitarian aid.
Others asked questions ranging from the interoperability of AFSBn-NEA with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force to potential sites for the Reception, Staging Onward Movement & Integration exercise and Non-combatant Evacuation Operations.
At the conclusion of the presentation, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jason Peruccio, YND site manager, and Austin Brown, ship surveyor, led the class through the Landing Craft Utility. The subject matter experts educated the students on the ship's power generation, engine capability, crew responsibility and boat capacity.
Throughout the key leader engagement, Noe emphasized the importance of the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Japan.
He stated the very presence of the JSC at WEB-YND "was a testament to the strong bond of our nations."
Many recalled Operation Tomodachi in 2011 as a huge success as it displayed the resilient partnership of both countries. AFSBn-NEA today continues to foster that partnership through KLEs and multinational training events.
Operation Tomodachi was a U.S. Armed Forces disaster relief operation following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
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