NAF Atsugi welcomes trouble during NEO drill

ATSUGI, JAPAN

07.11.2014

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kegan Kay 

Naval Air Facility Atsugi

NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI, Japan – Active Duty and Reservist Sailors gathered in Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi’s Air Operations terminal (Air Ops), July 9, for a non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) exercise.
The purpose of the exercise was to test the building’s effectiveness to meet the needs of an evacuee processing center by making plans for the use of the building, promoting awareness of the process and identifying needed resources and where to gather equipment.

The exercise consisted of three parts including an evaluation of the building to set up substations, a brief with the emergency management team and a mock run through of the whole process.

NAF Atsugi Emergency Management Officer David Puckett said another key point of the NEO drill was to evaluate all problems and issues with using Air Ops so that they can be dealt with before an actual NEO event.

Commander, Naval Forces Japan Logistics Planning Officer Lt. Sam Chea also feels this is a good opportunity for hands-on training and looked forward to seeing participants workout all of the kinks in their procedures.

“I hope that Atsugi planners and coordinators, as well as reservists, learn the short-falls in their plans and [I hope] that it allows them to further their plans for better execution,” said Chea.

Regional Emergency Management Program Director for Japan Scot Freeman said that a major benefit of this drill is to provide the installation a point of departure.

“It’s also to establish a standardization of the process or standard operating procedure to rely upon in the event they are directed to initiate a NEO from Atsugi,” said Freeman.

Puckett said the logistics of the exercise were incredible and that it will hopefully provide a good foundation and plan of action in event a NEO must be conducted.

“I expect us to identify issues and problems,” said Puckett. “This allows us to help in times of crises and how we care for our personnel.”

“NEO performs as a very protective action pillar under the emergency management umbrella,” said Freeman. “If installations can be expected to be given orders to execute NEO, and they haven’t done steps like Atsugi is doing today, then they will be basically having to perform procedures that otherwise could have been arranged and pre-planned in advanced.”

• Date Taken: 07.11.2014
• Date Posted: 07.11.2014 04:38
• Story ID: 135824
• Location: ATSUGI, JP