JSDFEJFY 2018 JSDFE Field Tour Report- USAF Kadena Air Base, Okinawa -The Japan Society of Defense Facilities Engineers (JSDFE)
visited USAF Kadena Air Base (AB) on 30 Aug. 2017 for afield tour, with the support of American Society of MilitaryEngineers (SAME) Japan Post and the 18th Civil Engineer
Group (CEG).
This tour was the first field tour outside the Kanto area.
Despite such distance, 48 members from the Kanto area, as
well as Okinawa prefecture, participated in this tour.
Additionally, the launch of the ballistic missile by theDemocratic People's Republic of Korea's Forces whichcrossed over Cape Erimo, Hokkaido, was a realization toparticipants that this tour was occurring within a heightened
security environment in and around Japan and East Asia.
This tour consisted of three parts, 1) briefing session by the18th Wing, the 18th CEG, and JSDFE, 2) a visit to a
construction site on Kadena AB, and 3) wind shield tour
around of Kadena AB and its runway areas.
A briefing session was held at the Officer’s Club on Kadena
AB to deepen the understanding of participants toward therole and mission of the 18th Wing and the 18th CEG.

USAF Kadena AB（View from the “Michi-no-Eki Kadena”)

Emblem
18th Wing

18th CEG

The 18th CEG is the largest Civil Engineer unit in the USAF and consists of two Squadrons(i.e. the18th Civil Engineer Squadron (CES) and the 712nd CES). The Civil Engineer
Organization is typically aligned as a squadron under a Mission Support Group across mostof the US Air Force. The scope and complexity of the mission at Kadena AB has made itnecessary to elevate it to a Civil Engineer Group with 2 Civil Engineer Squadrons underneaththe group level. The 18th CEG comprises of 1,600 military, US and Japanese civilians whomsupport the 18th Wing and its 30 partner units. In addition, the 18th CEG provides
engineering, utilities, fire protection, disaster preparedness, environmental protection, andexplosive ordnance disposal for over 35,000 personnel. It also provides critical war-fighting
and peacetime contingency capabilities in support of humanitarian, natural disasters and Air
Expeditionary Force deployments worldwide.
Following the briefing, the tour group and SAME members attend enjoyed a meal together
at the Officer’s Mess Hall. We were fortunate enough to enjoy the hall’s daily special, whichwas a buffet full of various Asian dishes. The JSDFE and SAME members were sharedtables to have an enjoyable meal and time together. Following self-introductions frommembers of each group, we were able to discuss various topics that helped strengthen anddeepen the mutual understanding toward each association.
After lunch, on behalf of the JSDFE, Mr. Gakuto Fukawa gave a brief overview of theJSDFE’s activities to SAME members. In hopes to strengthen the collaborative efforts
between the two associations, the briefing mainly focused on the three pillars of the JSDFE
which are 1) scientific studies and research, 2) dissemination of new technology anddevelopment, and 3) further public awareness and campaign efforts toward military engineers.

18th CEG Briefing

JSDFE Briefing

Col. Grainger’s speech

Following the JSDFE briefing, Col. Robert S. Grainger, President of SAME Japan Post andalso the Commander of the 18th CEG, once again welcomed our group. In reply, Mr.
Kazuhiro Watanabe, Vice-President of JSDFE, expressed our gratitude toward the hospitality
show to us and conveyed our hopes for further future collaborative efforts between theassociations.
The final portion of the trip consisted of a bus tour which visited three construction sitesaround Kadena AB. The three sites were, 1) New Consolidated Club Facility B621, 2) NewBob Hope/ Amelia Earhart Elementary School, and 3) Renovation of Unaccompanied
Enlisted Personnel Housing (UEPH) Dome 630, Dome 700. The showcase of the bus tour
was our visit to Habu-Hill (former SR-71 SQ facilities) which provided a panorama view of therunway and its facilities and a wind shield tour around Kadena AB. The time spent touring thebase was a realization that we were on the largest military facility in the Far East.

Under construction site at Consolidated Club Facility B621

Bob hope/ America Earhart Elementary school

Group photo at Base Exchange

In summary, all members of the JSDFE believe that this trip provided an indispensible
experience of the U.S. Military Facilities specifically, Kadena AB, for participants.
We were very fortunate enough to receive the support and cooperation from all thoseindividuals who made such an experience possible for our members. Equally importantly,
was the fact that all participants were able to return home safely regardless of the extreme
heat on the day.
Unfortunately, due to the large influx of registrations for this trip, we had no choice but toclose once capacity was reached. The JSDFE plans to hold further endeavors to host trips in
the future for our members to help disseminate understanding toward facility and militaryengineering technology and national security policy.
Lastly, the JSDFE would like to express our deepest gratitude toward the SAME Japan Post,
18th CEG, and individuals who helped plan and implement this tour. We also like to thank ourmembers for participating in this tour and hope you may join us in future activities hosted by
our association.