CAMP COURTNEY, Japan - Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and III Marine Expeditionary Force planners held a conference Oct. 30 at the III MEF Headquarters Building on Camp Courtney to discuss the future of amphibious capabilities within the JGSDF.
Col. Osamu Fujiwara, the director of the Amphibious Office for the Ground Staff Office, JGDSF, and Col. Russell Burton, the assistant chief of staff with G-5, plans, III MEF, attended the briefing to discuss the future plans.
The JGSDF is currently working on developing amphibious capabilities similar to those of the Marine Corps, according to Lt. Col. Christopher Krajacich, a Marine Air-Ground Task Force planner for III MEF.
The JGSDF anticipates developing an amphibious unit in the future.
“The JGSDF are planning on making a massive jump when creating this force,” said Lt. Col. John M. Baseel, a foreign area officer with Marine Corps Security Cooperation Group.
Prior to this conference, the JGSDF and III MEF representatives met to start working on the details of creating the force and came together during the conference to review the current status.
“The JGSDF has a good initial template for building up their amphibious force,” said Baseel. “They have a plan to establish (assault amphibious vehicle) and amphibious operations schools that will teach the courses needed for operating the AAVs and AAV military occupational specialty progression.”
The JGSDF and III MEF representatives are planning to hold an exercise in approximately one year to test possible training scenarios that the JGSDF and III MEF amphibious forces can execute bilaterally.
“The (scheduled exercise) will help show what capabilities and types of training the JGSDF amphibious force is hoping to conduct alongside their Marine counterparts,” said Maj. Tyler J. Moore, a foreign area officer with III MEF.
With key aspects of the amphibious force’s details worked out, both the JGSDF and Marine planners left confident and ready for their next meeting.
“The brief was very informative and brought up some good subjects for the next time we meet to discuss our plans for the future,” said Fujiwara. “I hope in the future we can conduct more bilateral training together using our amphibious force.”