Photo By James Kimber | FLEET ACTIVITIES YOKOSUKA, Japan (December 10, 2025) -- Capt. Jonathan Hopkins,...... read more read more
FLEET ACTIVITIES YOKOSUKA, Japan (December 10, 2025) — Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) celebrated the grand opening of a new Satellite Liberty Center Wednesday, Dec. 10.
CFAY leadership, staff and Sailors attended the ribbon-cutting inside Unaccompanied Housing (UH) Building 3387’s repurposed first-floor lounge now transformed into the unmanned, Satellite Liberty Center operated by the CFAY MWR Liberty Program.
The $50,000 renovation was an 18-month project part of a broader series of upgrades across the installation’s UH complexes. 3387’s upgrade is aimed at modernizing common areas to better align them with how Sailors live, work and relax today, said Capt. Jonathan Hopkins, Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka.
“Our watchwords are ‘Fleet, Family, Alliance,’ and this new facility is a tangible investment in our forward-deployed Seventh Fleet Sailors and in CNIC’s ‘Fleet, Fighter and Family’ priority,” Hopkins said. “The Satellite Liberty Center gives our Sailors a true third space right inside Unaccompanied Housing. It’s somewhere to build community, find support, and recharge off duty without ever having to leave their UH footprint.”
The new space features an 86-inch television, upgraded seating, gaming consoles, a foosball table, dart machine, a fully refurbished kitchen, a small library among other amenities said Bill Wagner, CFAY MWR Liberty Program Manager.
“This is a great addition for our Sailors to kick back and relax with their friends,” Wagner said. “It’s open to anyone living in UH whether or not they’re part of the Liberty program and we can comfortably serve 16 to 20 Sailors at a time here.”
CFAY MWR’s Satellite Liberty Center is part of the Navy-wide Liberty Program. According to CNIC’s website, Liberty Program aims to “positively impact the quality of life and contribute to the personal readiness of single and unaccompanied military personnel” in safe, alcohol- and tobacco-free recreation spaces with skill-building workshops, local-area trips and social activities.
Similar Liberty satellite concepts can be found at other Navy installations. At Washington Navy Yard, Enterprise Hall houses a Liberty Center for E-1 through E-6 unaccompanied service members; at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, a Liberty Center operates on the third floor of an unaccompanied housing facility; and on Naval Base Guam, the Liberty Center sits next to the UH office.
Closer to home, the Single Sailor Liberty Program at Naval Air Facility Atsugi runs a main Liberty Center along with additional Liberty lounges in other buildings, operating on a hub-and-satellite model similar to CFAY’s new approach.
“We’re still adding to the satellite center; specifically, to the kitchen. Sailors will start seeing more appliances coming soon,” Wagner said. “Hopefully, that will help make the kitchen area feel more like a kitchen that you’d find in the States.”
CFAY MWR Liberty, alongside other Navy MWR Liberty Centers throughout Japan, has also partnered with The New Sanno in Tokyo offering discounted rooms on Fridays and Saturdays to eligible Sailors.
“It’s a great deal,” Wagner said. “New Sanno is providing rooms for $65 a night. Sailors just need to come in to the Main Liberty Center and register.”
CNIC’s own Liberty Program is also expanding online opportunities. Earlier this year, the program launched a fantasy football league. The latest offering is an online photography workshop with Will Byington, a well-known Chicago-based photographer.
UH Building 3387 itself has been a centerpiece of CFAY’s effort to move Sailors out of shipboard berthing and into modern, shore-based housing since opening in 2014. The Satellite Liberty Center addition is just one example of the ongoing investments across command’s UH portfolio.
Construction is well underway on a new UH next to Green Beach Pool. The eight-floor, 198-module complex is set to serve approximately 400 Sailors around late 2026 to early 2027. Additional plans for three more UH complexes are also scheduled.
Earlier this year, a large-scale $1.3 million project began to replace carpeted floors with more durable tiled floors in Building 3333. Additionally, a full furniture reset is in progress and scheduled to be complete in early 2026. 3333’s own first-floor lounge is also expected to see a repurposing project kicking off with the addition of an unmanned Micro-Mart operated by Navy Exchange Yokosuka.
Building 1530, the community residence for single Sailors nearest to the main NEX building, has tasks totaling more than $33 million for renovations and structural reinforcements in progress.
In February 2025, a $4 million contract was awarded to replace exterior doors and windows in UH Buildings 1393, 1516, and 3333. Occupants here can expect this work to wrap up by the end of 2026.
For more information on CFAY MWR Liberty programs, events and eligibility, visit the CFAY MWR Liberty Program online or stop by the main Liberty Center in the James D. Kelly Fleet Recreation Center.
| Date Taken: | 12.09.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2025 19:27 |
| Story ID: | 553613 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 166 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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