Fleet Activities Okinawa

Fleet Activities Okinawa is an American military base operated by the United States Navy in Japan. It is as unique as the island it is located on. It might be the high living conditions or perhaps the great atmosphere and professionalism that defines this base. One thing is for sure though – it is definitely among the military bases that can make you feel like home. The installation supports all the US Navy actions in this particular side of the world. Just like other American installations in Japan, this one is also operated with the Japanese laws and regulations in mind.

Mission

Judging by the calm situation in Japan and the nearby areas, the primary mission of Fleet Activities Okinawa is to support its inhabitants and provide a high quality of life. It doesn’t matter whether they are military troops, civilian families or contractors. As long as they are hosted on site, they are all treated alike in an attempt to make them feel like home and forget about the long distance from home.

Other than that, the installation serves the United States Navy. This means that although it is in an unofficial standby position, it is always ready to step in whenever some unexpected situations arise in the area. Over its history, it has always stood up to the expectations, counting on innovation, high quality and immediate support to provide the fastest and most effective solutions.

History

Fleet Activities Okinawa is not like most other American bases in Japan, which were established soon after Japan decided to withdraw from World War II in front of the allied forces. Instead, it was established almost half a decade later, when the Korean War began. The war began in 1950. The necessity of such an installation was obvious for the American government, so the US Navy established a new base in Okinawa in 1951. Back then, it was named Naha, after the city it was located in. Six years later, a similar center was raised with the clear purpose to deal with fleet activities. The bases acted independently for almost two decades. In the spring of 1972, the authorities decided to mix them up. The main reason was the difference between them. Some facilities could be found in one base only, while the other one had completely different services. Therefore, mixing these two names resulted in a more complete and powerful installation.

Three years later, in 1975, Fleet Activities Okinawa was relocated to Kadena, which was later disestablished. Naval Air Facility Kadena played the hosting role for the new base for a while. It was its home. However, it was eliminated in 1992, after a severe BRAC – Base Realignment and Closure – commission who found it useless in an attempt to cut the costs.

Units

There are both permanent and temporary or associate tenants hosted at Fleet Activities Okinawa. Among the most popular permanent units, you can count the 76-th Task Force, the battalion for Mobile Construction, the Communication Detachment, the command for Military Sealift or the Air Pacific Repair unit. When it comes to associate tenants, there are only five of them on site.