Photo By Lance Cpl. Rachel Mason | U.S. Sailors with 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, and U.S. Air...... read more read more
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OKINAWA, Japan — U.S. Sailors assigned to 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, and U.S. Airmen assigned to the 18th Medical Group, 18th Wing, partnered to test joint life-saving capabilities during Exercise Beverly Midnight 26 at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, March 12, 2026.
The Air Force-led exercise assessed the 18th Wing’s ability to generate and sustain combat forces in a simulated chemical and contested environment. In this scenario, the expertise of 3rd Medical Battalion strengthened the wing’s medical response and ensured battlefield care procedures remained effective and interoperable between services.
Working alongside their Air Force counterparts, Sailors helped create a realistic training environment focused on command and control, patient triage and surgical procedures during simulated mass casualty events.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Gabriel Chase, a medical logistics officer with the 18th MDG, emphasized the importance of joint medical integration during the exercise, noting how coordinated logistics and shared capabilities allow both services to rapidly respond to casualties in complex environments.
“18th Medical Group is rehearsing with 3rd Medical Battalion on our Role 2 capabilities to save as many lives as possible and return warfighters to the fight as quickly as we can,” Chase said. “Our strength is our interoperability. The war fought tomorrow will be done jointly.”
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Henry Sanders, an anesthesiologist with 3rd Medical Battalion, said training alongside Air Force medical personnel allows both units to better understand how each service operates in high-pressure environments.
“This joint operation helps us understand each other’s doctrine and apply it in a realistic scenario,” Sanders said. “By doing this, we turn doctrine into a living process where we can test it, refine it and improve how we operate together.”
Exercise BM26 allowed both services to refine procedures and strengthen coordination across the joint force. The training sharpened the ability of both units to deliver critical care side by side, reinforcing a unified medical team prepared to respond to crises across the Indo-Pacific.
The training marked a significant step in strengthening the partnership between the U.S. Marine Corps’ 3rd Marine Logistics Group and the 18th Wing. More than a routine drill, the exercise sharpened a joint medical team capable of delivering lifesaving care in contaminated and contested environments. The skills refined at Kadena Air Base reinforce the U.S. military’s ability to sustain forces and project power across the Indo-Pacific.
| Date Taken: | 03.12.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.13.2026 03:07 |
| Story ID: | 560449 |
| Location: | KADENA AIR BASE, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, BM26: 3rd Medical Battalion supports Air Force readiness in contested environments during exercise, by LCpl Rachel Mason, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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