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GULFPORT, Miss. (June 18, 2025) - U.S. Navy Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 completed their 2025 Field Training Exercise (FTX) and returned to their home station on Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport, Miss., June 18, 2025.
The FTX, dubbed “Operation Turning Point” and administered by Naval Construction Group (NCG) 2, began on June 1 and simulated an island-based expeditionary deployment.
In a departure from previous large-unit FTXs, the battalion was split up into specialty construction companies. These companies individually handled construction and tactical scenarios while maintaining a line of communications and logistics with battalion headquarters.
Advanced Base Construction Companies deployed to Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Miss., to establish and defend an expeditionary base camp complete with water purification services and a network of hardened bunkers.
Airfield Construction Companies, experts in rapid runway repair, were sent to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans in Belle Chase, La., where they repaired damaged airfields and constructed wooden Southwest Asia huts for general use.
Waterfront Construction Companies, who specialize in maritime infrastructure, set up camp on a derelict pier in the port of Gulfport, Miss., to construct concrete seawalls and a boat ramp made of individually casted concrete “steps”.
Headquarters Company, operating out of NCBC Gulfport, maintained the communication network between the four sites’ command posts and served as the lynchpin for the exercise’s “command and signal” aspect.
In addition to their construction duties, all individual companies were assessed on tactical skills, such as rules of engagement, repulsing enemy attacks and the treatment of casualties.
“[FTX] creates a challenge of first contact with our plans and how we adapt in the face of adversity,” said Lt. Cmdr. Tyler Williams, NMCB-11's executive officer. “The team performed well and demonstrated leadership in the field and at Headquarters.”
Successful completion of FTX certifies NMCB-11 for their upcoming deployment in support of Naval operations in the Indo-Pacific region.
NMCB-11, assigned to NCG-2, is homeported in Gulfport, Ms., as part of the Naval Construction Force (NCF). The NCF is a vital component in U.S. Maritime Strategy and is composed of deployable battalions capable of providing contingency construction, disaster preparation and recovery support, humanitarian assistance, and combat operations support for regional partners and combatant commanders.
| Date Taken: | 06.18.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.23.2025 11:41 |
| Story ID: | 501225 |
| Location: | GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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