NMCB 3 passes critical 48-hour exercise, stands ready to provide HA/DR in Pacific Region

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Fahey | Equipment Operator 2nd Class Jennifer Harris, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3, guides a medium tactical vehicle replacement (MTVR) onto a digital scale during NMCB 3's 48-hour Mount Out Exercise (MOE). The MOE tested NMCB 3's ability to deploy construction equipment and personnel in support of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations anywhere in the Pacific Region within 48 hours. One of the first battalions commissioned during World War II, NMCB 3's legacy stands strong in its ability to build and fight anywhere in the world as either a full battalion or as a group of autonomous detachments, simultaneously completing critical engineering and construction missions. For this deployment, NMCB 3 has split into nine details to perform critical construction projects in remote island areas such as Timor-Leste, Tonga, Cambodia and the Philippines. The teams will also conduct operations in Atsugi, Yokosuka and Okinawa, Japan; Chinhae, Republic of Korea and China Lake, Calif. The Naval Construction Force is a vital component of the U.S. Maritime Strategy. They provide deployable battalions capable of providing disaster preparation and recovery support, humanitarian assistance and combat operations support. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chris Fahey.)  

OKINAWA, JAPAN

09.27.2013

Courtesy Story

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3

Story by Builder Constructionman Laine Pulfer
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 Public Affairs

OKINAWA, Japan - Jan. 12, 2010, an earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, killed more than 200 thousand people and left another one million homeless and helpless. Schools, hospitals and homes were destroyed, resulting in billions in damage and an entire nation stranded and helpless. Three years later, more than half a million people in Port-au-Prince are still living in tents with running water regaled as a luxury.

Hundreds of thousands of people in the Pacific Region face similar natural disasters, sweeping their lives out from under them and leaving them suffering and requiring help.

Friday, Sept. 27, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 successfully completed a critical Mount Out Exercise (MOE), testing the Seabees’ ability to execute humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations anywhere in the Pacific.

“The main focus of the exercise is to show that we are capable of effectively getting our troops and equipment deployed as quickly as possible – no later than 48 hours,” said NMCB 3’s Embark Officer Ensign Levi Reed. “The embark exercise we performed earlier this year marked one of the highest scoring performances in the naval mobile construction battalions within the last five years. We had no intentions of falling short of a benchmark we ourselves set.”

As around-the-clock operations began Wed. afternoon, Sept. 25, more than 89 Seabees from NMCB 3’s Air Detachment began packing their bags. These men and women would serve as the deployed engineering force notionally tasked under the MOE to conduct search and rescue, reopen critical communication and supply lines, rebuild government infrastructure and assist in providing basic security, food, water and shelter to the simulated affected population.

The notional mission mirrors the conditions commonly experienced by Pacific Island Countries, many of which serve as allies to U.S. forces. These communities are battered annually by earthquakes, tsunamis and tropical cyclones.

According to the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative, the Pacific Region is one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world. These island nations can expect an annual bill of roughly $278 million in addition to the constant risk of death faced by hundreds of thousands living throughout the region.

“As the commanding officer of the battalion on station ready to provide help to a nation forced to suffer due to a natural disaster, I can only feel proud to represent such an amazing team,” said NMCB 3 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Gordon Meek. “I’ve witnessed the kind of life-saving aid a construction battalion can offer – once in Kosovo and once Iraq. It’s never a position you hope to be in, but when you see the misery on the faces of those affected and are able to ease that, there truly isn’t a more gratifying feeling.”

Ensuring the battalion reached its goal of preparing literally tons of equipment and nearly 100 personnel for immediate departure into a mock area pummeled by Mother Nature took a consolidated effort by all NMCB 3 Seabees. Work crews operated for 48 straight hours.

According to Builder Constructionman Alexandria Bowman, who helped palletize equipment, the exercise made her feel both confident and ready.

“It’s an important mission,” said Bowman. “Being able to be a part of team dedicated to helping others feels good. If I were one of those called on to deploy further into the Pacific and help out a country hit by a typhoon or tsunami, I know I could get the job done.”

The MOE enables NMCB 3 to remain ready as the primary construction battalion in the Pacific Region. The team is currently performing critical construction projects in remote island areas such as Timor-Leste, Tonga, Cambodia and the Philippines. NMCB 3 details are also conducting operations in Atsugi, Yokosuka and Okinawa, Japan; Chinhae, Republic of Korea and China Lake, Calif.

NMCB 3 is part of the Naval Construction Force – a vital component of the U.S. Maritime Strategy that provides deployable battalions capable of providing disaster preparation and recovery support, humanitarian assistance and combat operations support.

• Date Taken: 09.27.2013
• Date Posted: 09.27.2013 14:40
• Story ID: 114395
• Location: OKINAWA, JP