Latest news with #MarineCorpsAir
Asahi Shimbun
26-05-2025
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
Landing practice of U.S. aircraft opened to public after 6 years
The U.S. military in Japan opened the training of its carrier-based aircraft to the public for the first time in six years on May 25 on Iwoto island in Tokyo's Ogasawara village. During the field carrier landing practice (FCLP), pilots perform repetitive landings on a land runway strip that simulates the deck of an aircraft carrier. The roars of stealth fighter jets such as the F-35 Lightning II echoed across the island. The moment the aircraft touched the runway—after descending at high speed—it increased power, took off and ascended again. A roar that pierced the air vibrated reporters' eardrums even through earplugs and resonated throughout their bodies. The moment it landed, smoke rose from the aircraft's tires and a burning odor filled the air. The media filmed the scene several dozen meters away from the runway. Multiple aircraft passed in front of reporters in succession at intervals of about a minute. A U.S. military official explained that the black stains on the reporters' arms and faces were 'spray' from the tires. The landing practice is conducted every May, before U.S. aircraft carriers deployed to U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture depart from the port. This year, the FCLP started May 19 and is scheduled to end on May 31. This was the first time the landing exercise has been open to the media in six years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, the Japanese government decided to relocate the FCLP site to Mageshima, an uninhabited island near Tanegashima island in Kagoshima Prefecture, at the request of the United States. Construction of a Self-Defense Forces base, including a runway, is under way on Mageshima island. Iwoto island, also known as Iwojima, was the site of a fierce battle near the end of the Pacific War. The island is 1,400 kilometers from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture, where the carrier-based aircraft unit is based. On Iwoto island, a joint Japan-U.S. memorial service was held in March to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and defense ministers from both nations attended the ceremony. In April, the emperor and empress also visited the island to mourn the war dead there. Currently, the remains of more than 10,000 people that cannot be accommodated remain buried under the runway and at other sites on the island.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
MCAS Cherry Point hosts first Emergency Management Summit
HAVELOCK, N.C. (WNCT) — With hurricanes like Helene and Florence happening recently in North Carolina, emergency management officials gathered to prepare for the upcoming storm season. Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point hosted its first Emergency Management Summit Wednesday, May 7, 2025. 'With different local, state and federal agencies all coming together at Cherry Point today, the goal is to figure out how they can all use their capabilities to work together in times of emergencies,' MCAS Cherry Point Commanding Officer Col. Brendan 'Cletus' Burks said. 'Today, we have all of our regional partners together to talk emergency management and it is a great opportunity for us to put faces with names, also to talk about our capabilities, kind of learn each other and what we bring to emergency management in response and then also talk about future support for each other. So great opportunity today.' Some of those partners included other military installations in the state, nearby county emergency management officials and energy and internet companies. All of them came together to network and learn how to have the best joint response to disasters. 'Here at Cherry Point, obviously majority of our Marines are civil servants and contractors that work here, live in our local community,' Director of Mission Assurance for MCAS Cherry Point Grant DeHaven said. 'So, it's about most important is that we are out there working with them and helping them recover from such a disaster as well.' DeHaven also shared what the MCAS learned from Hurricane Florence. 'The first place that local community will look, or one of the first places other than going to the state headquarters, is there, go down to a military installation and ask for help because we do have those mechanisms here.' They also discussed lessons learned from Hurricane Helene. 'There are ways to work together and the most important thing in an event like this is meeting the people you're going to end up working with in a disaster response,' Director of Joint Staff North Carolina National Guard BG Wes Morrison said. 'On a normal day, we really, they do their own jobs, coming together like this makes us a stronger response agency,' North Carolina Emergency Management Eastern Branch Manager Dianne Curtis said. 'This was the first year for this type of summit, so they hope to continue to have more in years to come.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT.
