Photo By Sgt. Brandon Aultman | Mr. Bryon Edwards, the Deputy of Operations and Training for Marine Corps Base Hawaii,...... read more read more
Subscribe
Residents and visitors may have noticed a few changes taking place aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Security upgrades, barracks renovations, and airfield infrastructure improvements are just a few of the many projects being worked on throughout the base. However, these changes don’t just happen out of the blue. Many people in various offices throughout the base are working every day to bring these new changes to the base. One of those people is Mr. Bryon Edwards, the Deputy of Operations and Training for Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
“As Deputy of Operations and Training, I am responsible for approximately 200 civilians, contractors, active duty and reserve Marines,” said Edwards, “as well as an annual operating budget of over 3 million dollars and military construction projects of well over 20 million dollars.”
Edwards and his team have been leading the modernization efforts of the base’s range and training areas. Permanent personnel can expect to see range target improvements, as well as new rappel tower and gas chamber upgrades.
“We are always striving to make things better,” said Edwards, “whether it’s improving the quality of our ranges or being good stewards of the land we’re responsible for. This is where we work and train, but protecting the land and environment is also part of the job and we take that very seriously.”
It’s a lot to keep track of. Luckily for Edwards, he has a diverse team of service members and civilians working with him to handle the daily challenges that come with such immense responsibility.
“Our department is a group of seasoned professionals,” said Edwards, “They understand the importance of our mission to support the training of tenant commands, joint partners, interagency, and local law enforcement.”
Edwards and his team hold a significant amount of responsibility on their shoulders. All that weight is bound to create some stress, but Edwards doesn’t seem too phased by it. He’s confident in his team’s ability to handle that pressure, and even take on more responsibility if the situation calls for it.
“There are absolutely moments when my job is more intense than others,” said Edwards, “operations and training is a dynamic area in any military organization.”
The present day Marine Corps is constantly evolving to keep up with the growing demand for a force-in-readiness that meets the requirements of tomorrow. With that evolution comes the need for rapid change, and Edwards and his team have been at the forefront.
“The speed and intensity concerning planning have increased in the areas of range modernization, military construction, and familiarization,” said Edwards, “in order to accommodate new units and their unique training requirements.”
Having to balance the responsibility of pushing change forward while maintaining daily operations can be tough, but Edwards says his team has found a good balance.
“It is setting a balanced effort for future needs,” said Edwards, “that can't be done at the expense of the present.”
It is hard to overstate the significance of Hawaii as a strategic location in the Indo-Pacific region. Although it is important that the Marine Corps maintains a presence here, it cannot come at the expense of the local community.
“Being a good neighbor and steward of the land is something that we take a great deal of pride in,” said Edwards, “while still providing top tier training to our customers.”
Above all, Edwards shies away from taking all the credit, and constantly reiterates that this work is not done alone. He says the reason he can be so successful in his job is because of the strong team of planners and thinkers that surround him.
“The culture and teamwork we have established within our team are unique and special,” said Edwards, “beyond the day-to-day mission of supporting training, we have great camaraderie and excitement about the future.”
Mr. Bryon Edwards, also known to many as Lieutenant Colonel Edwards, has spent almost 22 years in the Marine Corps Reserves, with 7 of those on active duty orders here at MCBH and at other locations around the Corps. His current reserve assignment is with the Marine Innovation unit, out of Newburgh, NY, whose mission is to leverage existing Marine talent in order to accelerate the development and adoption of advanced capabilities in the Marine Corps, transform Naval Service capacity for technology employment, and retain and invest in Total Force human capital. In 2022, Edwards became a graduate of the Pacific Century Fellows program which aims to unite Hawaii’s emerging leaders from diverse professions and backgrounds in an endeavor to find innovative solutions to the state’s main problems and concerns.
| Date Taken: | 02.28.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.03.2023 19:23 |
| Story ID: | 437299 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 126 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Faces of MCIPAC: Mr. Bryon Edwards, by Sgt Brandon Aultman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT