, KADENA AIR BASE, Japan: The arrival of soldiers, equipment and vehicles here over the last two weeks pave the way for the first deployment of a Patriot Advanced Capability 3, or PAC-3, battalion to the island.
The 1-1 Air Defense Artillery Battalion, commanded by Army Lt. Col. Matthew Michaelson, moved here from Fort Bliss, Texas, as part of a bilateral agreement between the United States and Japan to enhance theater missile defense.
“The restationing of our battalion is a significant part of the military's global repositioning plan and is not in response to any current event,” said Colonel Michaelson. “This is a great opportunity for us to integrate jointly with our sister services and culturally in our partnership with the Okinawan people.”
Soldiers started arriving in August with a majority of the vehicles and equipment arriving by ship Sept. 30 at the Naha Military Port. Almost 350 vehicles, trailers and containers were transported from the port to base.
“The movement from the first ship was truly a professional and efficient operation,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Kuppers, the battalion command sergeant major. “The ship was (unloaded) in approximately 10 hours without injury or accident. The Soldiers did an outstanding job.”
The movement from the port to Kadena Air Base was conducted over a four-day period. According to the command sergeant major approximately 200 vehicles, 33 containers of equipment and almost 110 trailers arrived at the base.
A second ship arrived Oct. 9 at the Tengan and Naha ports with the remaining equipment and vehicles.
The PAC-3 systems will be located on Kadena property — on base and in the Kadena ammunition area. Approximately 600 Soldiers are assigned to the battalion. Half of the unit is still at Fort Bliss, requiring members to continue outprocessing there and inprocessing here as well as set up workspaces.
“The 18th Wing has provided us with tremendous support,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Kuppers. “Whether it was housing, civil engineering, security forces, services or the wing leadership, when we asked for something we needed, we have gotten it.”
The PAC-3 missile is a defensive-only weapon used to dissuade and deter potential adversaries from using ballistic missiles. Okinawa was chosen based on its strategic location, enabling better security against ballistic threats. It is a high-velocity missile that uses kinetic energy to destroy targets rather than employ a high-explosive warhead.
While the battalion is located at Kadena, the command and control of the unit will be administered by the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Fort Shafter, Hawaii. All day-to-day administration will be handled by the 10th Area Support Group at Torii Station, Japan.
Battalion officials expect to be fully capable by the end of second quarter 2007.
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