USS ESSEX, At sea -- The Honorable Raymond Greene, U.S. Consulate General of Okinawa, Japan Self Defense Force Maj. Gen. Hideki Agario, director general of Okinawa, and other Japanese dignitaries visited the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) Oct. 8.
The purpose of their visit to Essex was to better understand the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities of the ship and embarked Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
“It’s a great opportunity to show some of the capabilities that the Essex and ARG present,” said Greene. “We are very interested in how the 31st MEU and the Navy can help if something should happen to Okinawa - what kind of capabilities they could provide and support the local community.”
Greene and the Japanese dignitaries had an opportunity to visit different areas of the ship, including the ship’s well deck, hangar bay, upper and lower vehicle storage, and medical facilities. They also had a chance to watch Sailors and Marines work on the flight deck during flight operations from the weather decks on the island, also known as “vulture’s row.”
31st MEU Commanding Officer Col. Andrew MacMannis, Essex Commanding Officer Capt. David Fluker and Commander of Amphibious Squadron 11 Capt. Bradley Lee escorted the consulate general and dignitaries through the ship, describing the capabilities of the Navy and Marine Corps team in regards to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
Ships of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group returned in April from assisting citizens of Japan after a 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami struck the nation. During the disaster relief mission, Operation Tomodachi, Sailors and Marines moved 80 tons of supplies ashore in one day and assisted in clearing debris from Oshima Island.
“After the March 11 disasters, the Japanese government had asked all the prefectures in Japan to update their disaster plans, and seeing how Okinawa is a big island prone to typhoons and tsunamis, we are very concerned about our own planning,” said Greene. “We have been talking to the local government about increasing our cooperation between the U.S. military and Okinawa.”
Fluker said he was glad to have the opportunity to show how the Navy and Marine Corps can assist during humanitarian assistance, disaster relief operations.
“Essex and the 31st MEU train regularly to carry out HADR missions, and we were honored to be able to offer our support during Operation Tomodachi,” said Fluker. “The unique capabilities of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps make us well suited to help provide relief to those in need in the event of a natural disaster.”
This visit also gave the consulate general and Japanese dignitaries the opportunity to share ideas with Navy and Marine Corps leadership about how the Okinawa prefecture can work with the military during an HADR operation.
“It’s a win-win for both sides and the [Japan-U.S.] alliance if we can deepen these relationships between the military and the local community,” said Greene.
The 31st MEU is the only continuously forward-deployed MEU and remains the nation's force in readiness in the Asia-Pacific region.