Photo By James Kimber | FLEET ACTIVITIES YOKOSUKA, Japan (May 21, 2026) -- A vehicle passes a Training in...... read more read more
Subscribe
YOKOSUKA, Japan (May 21, 2026) — Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) completed a Command Assessment for Readiness and Training (CART) exercise May 21. CART is designed as a command-administered self-evaluation of standard operating procedures, pre-planned responses and post orders, as well as antiterrorism and physical security plans. The assessment helps ensure base security forces, fire departments and emergency teams are prepared to respond.
The certification cycle is administered by Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) to test the emergency response capabilities of Navy bases and naval air stations and assess CFAY’s ability to train its personnel in various force protection evolutions.
CART is the first phase of a three-year certification cycle and precedes the second phase, known as Regional Assessment (RASS). RASS is a mid-cycle assessment that validates CFAY’s training teams and response capabilities. The final phase, the Final Evaluation Problem (FEP), is a scenario-driven evaluation of CFAY’s combat and antiterrorism readiness.
“CART is an opportunity where we show how we hold ourselves to the standard on a daily basis before anyone else does,” said Lt. j.g. Byron Hunt, CFAY’s assistant security officer. “We’re consistently pressure-testing our own procedures to find the gaps now, in training, rather than during a real-world event.”
The security department prepared for CART through force protection training and administrative readiness, including monthly drills and confirming all qualifications were current.
During the week, CFAY’s security department responded to numerous simulated events across the installation, including a simulated improvised explosive device, an active shooter and terrorist threats. Additionally, the installation’s emergency management team staffed the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to serve as the command hub for the exercise.
“What impressed me most was how the watch teams adjusted when a scenario didn’t unfold the way they expected,” Hunt said. “Nobody hesitated. They communicated with each other, adapted and continued the response.”
The CART exercise is an essential milestone in the certification cycle. With the assessment complete, CFAY will shift its focus to preparing for RASS.
“I never doubted how our response teams would perform, and they proved me right,” Hunt said. “Everything we put in front of them this week, they handled the way they’ve trained for it — deliberately and without losing their composure.”
“The part people don’t see is the coordination — security, fire and emergency management all have to operate as one, with the EOC tying it together,” Hunt said. “Sustaining that for a full week is no small task, and our people made it look routine.”
The CART exercise highlights the dedication and professionalism of the security forces and emergency management teams. Their commitment to ensuring the safety and security of the installation and its personnel reflects their readiness to meet any challenge as CFAY moves on to the cycle’s next phase, RASS.
For more than 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet’s forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families.
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.28.2026 21:06 |
| Story ID: | 566174 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, CFAY Completes CART, by PO1 James Mitchell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
