Students Graduate Bilateral Non-Commissioned Officer Leadership Continuum

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Zhiwei Tan | 180307-N-LG762-132 YOKOSUKA, Japan (Mar. 7, 2018) Graduates, senior leadership and staff of the Bilateral Noncommissioned Officer Leadership Continuum pose for a graduation photo. The continuum is a training event focusing on developing peer-to-peer support, intervention skills, and sharing leadership techniques between U.S. Armed Forces and the JMSDF. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zhiwei Tan/Released)  

KANAGAWA, JAPAN

03.07.2018

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Zhiwei Tan 

Commander, Naval Forces Japan

The three-day class combined the 12 JMSDF Sailors along with nine U.S. Navy Sailors, one U.S. Air Force staff sergeant, and one sergeant each from the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps. They covered topics including professional growth and development, destructive behaviors, fellowship, and family support programs.
“The Bilateral Non-Commissioned Officer Leadership Continuum is an opportunity for students from the Kaijo Jieitai, or the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, to integrate with students from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps,” said Master Chief Steven Snyder, Command Master Chief Naval Forces Japan/Navy Region Japan (CNFJ/CNRJ). “While we do teach rudimentary leadership skills and concepts, this is not really a leadership class. It is more about teaching them to interact with one other across international and force boundaries to form bonds, communicate with each other and collaboratively identify issues and build solutions.”
At the end of the course, graduates expressed their feelings in a survey about what they learned. Most of the Americans responded that they knew almost nothing about their Japanese counterparts.
While the Japanese and U.S. Armed Forces may take part in the same exercises and operations, true cooperation and understanding can only happen by building trust and bonds, said Snyder.
To help facilitate those ties, Snyder said he paired the participants to match their gender, approximate service time, and occupation and family situations. He said he hoped those similarities would help ease what can be an awkward transition from stranger to friend.
Sailors from both sides expressed great interest in building bonds, which was a core focus of the class.
“From the JMSDF side, we had people from all different ships, all different commands who I didn’t know, and then we had the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps, so I got to learn about an entire new world that I didn’t know about anything about,” said JMSDF Sonar Technician 2nd Class Fukushima Hajime, Bilateral NCO Leadership Continuum honor graduate. “That was a really wonderful opportunity and I got a chance to speak and practice my English.”
Even though the participants said the language barrier was a challenge, they didn’t shy away from getting to know their partners.
“The most interesting part of this course is most definitely the people,” Gunners Mate 1st Class Oscar Hernadez, Bilateral NCO Leadership Continuum honor graduate. “We all talk about our military experiences, culture and the language barrier, but the most interesting part to me was to learn what I had in common with people who have grown up in such different circumstances, thousands of miles away from where I grew up.”
The course is semi-annual event funded by the local JMSDF and the U.S. Navy chief petty officers association. It is slated to expand to other naval installations such as Naval Air Facility Misawa and Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo.

• Date Taken: 03.07.2018
• Date Posted: 03.09.2018 02:34
• Story ID: 268735
• Location: KANAGAWA, JP