Marines TV

Senior Marine Corps leaders participated in a cultural awareness presentation on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Nov. 13, 2019. The presentation gave an opportunity for the leaders to have discussions with Japanese and U.S. subject matter experts specializing in Asian and Security Affairs. The topics discussed included: Japanese National Security Policy, the Japan - U.S. alliance, joint use of military facilities in Okinawa, understanding the regional threat, United States Forces Japan and the current status of forces issues. (U.S. Marine Corps motion imagery by Lance Cpl. Ryan H. Pulliam)

The Ryukyu Kingdom Parade fills the Kokusai-dori Shopping street with culture from generations past. The parade is part of the Shurijo Castle Festival, which is a celebration of the culture and history of the Ryukyu Dynasty and its traditions. (U.S. Marine Corps Motion Imagery by Cpl. Sarah Stegall)

U.S. service members, their families, and members of the local community participate in Comic Con Okinawa at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan Oct. 13, 2019. The event was held by Marine Corps Community Services and featured a variety of vendors selling a plethora of pop culture-themed merchandise, a cosplay contest, and video game tournaments. (U.S. Marine Corps motion imagery by Lance Cpl. Ryan H. Pulliam)

U.S. Marines and civilians participate in the Ginowan Hagoromo Festival Dance Contest in Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 30, 2019. The Kachashii dance is a folk dance used by Japanese locals during happy ceremonies like weddings. (U.S. Marine Corps Motion Imagery by Lance Cpl. Alexandria Nowell)

Children with the School Age Center attend a Kagura dance performance at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan, July 15, 2019. The Aozora Kids Kagura Association, based out of Hiroshima City, visited MCAS Iwakuni to give Japanese and American children a way to interact with each other and to show the American children a piece of traditional Japanese Culture. This was the 3rd annual visit the association has made to MCAS Iwakuni. (U.S. Marine Corps Video by Lance Cpl. Castro)

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni residents traveled to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park as part of a Cultural Adaptation Program event in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan, April, 26, 2019. The Cultural Adaptation Program hosted the event to allow residents an opportunity to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and meet Kikuko Shinjo, a WWII atomic bomb survivor. Shinjo uses her experience to encourage positive interaction between Americans and the Japanese and to promote peace. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Sgt. Joseph Abrego)

Golden Week is a string of Japanese holidays spanning from April 29th to May 5th. The week is dedicated to reflect on the past and celebrate the future. The last day of celebration on May 5th is Children’s Day, where many koinobori flags are flown to represent parents’ aspirations for their children to grow healthy and strong. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Lance Cpl. Sarah Daniels)

The study of cultural geography involves observing places and their features with all of our senses to learn more about the people who live there. Cultural geography is about people, not maps. How people interact with, shape, and transform the land they live on can be indicators of their shared beliefs, practices, and values. Consciously observing human interaction with the physical environment can help you pick up on clues and context to better orient to a place you have never been. It can help you to expand your knowledge and become confident in your understanding. By suspending judgment and thinking holistically about the various technologies and trends that change a place over time, you are better able to understand the challenges and opportunities you may face in a particular area of operations.

The Continuing Education Program of the College of Distance Education and Training hosted a FACDEV Lunch-N-Learn where CAOCL researchers Dr. Blago Tashey and Mr. Brian McLaughlin shared their developing work on Russia’s Cognitive Dimension and its relevance to Information Warfare. Marine Corps University, Quantico, VA.