MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- Soldiers from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force showcased their amphibious landing and beach assault capabilities for the first time at Pyramid Rock Beach, July 1, 2014.
The JGSDF soldiers conducted the training as part of Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2014 alongside U.S. Marines with 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, based in Okinawa, Japan.
U.S. Pacific Command’s largest maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans.
Training for the JGSDF began when they boarded four of their amphibious warfare vessels and floated out to sea.
Nearly half a mile from the beach, four teams of two soldiers exited the vessels and ingressed toward the shore. When they washed up on the sand, the soldiers quickly set up a security perimeter along the shore before advancing positions.
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Cody Goddard, a corpsman with 3rd Recon Bn., said the Japanese soldiers are a self-sufficient group of men. “They occasionally ask us for tips regarding training, but they always bring their own gear and run the show,” said the 23-year-old Las Vegas native.
On the beach, teams of two advanced positions from sand to shrubbery to find cover and camoufl age. When he confirmed his team members were in place, the squad leader established a landing point for the rest of his team and signaled them a shore.
The soldiers landed their vessels, anchored them in the sand and took positions next to their squad members.
From there, they patrolled through thick bushes and up the hills beyond the beach toward their objective.
At the top of the last hill, the soldiers once again concealed themselves to practice reconnaissance.
They accomplished their primary mission and retreated back to their vessels on the beach before ending the exercise. The JGSDF gathered near their boats and conducted an after-action review to discuss where they excelled and areas they could improve.
Marines overseeing the exercise said they were impressed at how well the JGSDF conducted the mission.
“These guys know what they’re doing,” Goddard said. “It’s good that they have this training because it means we operate similarly in case we ever work with them in future operations.”
The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. This is the 24th exercise in the series that began in 1971.