An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

News from around the Fleet

NMCB-5 Completes Cohesive COMMEX with 9th ESB

29 November 2021

From Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Stephane Belcher, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 Public Affairs

OKINAWA, Japan— The U.S. Navy Seabees with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5 completed a joint Communications Exercise (COMMEX) with Marines assigned to 9th Engineer Support Battalion (ESB) onboard Camp Shields, Okinawa, Japan Nov. 23.

The joint COMMEX allowed the battalion to self-evaluate its ability to use multiple types of communication equipment to practice communicating in a degraded environment. They proved they could execute command and control of the battalion's detail sites across the Indo-Pacific region and effectively send reports to the 30th Naval Construction Regiment.

"It provides the commander a snapshot of his battalion's current readiness to operate, should he need to transition into the 'Fight Tonight,'" said 1st Lt. Brandon Jackson, NMCB-5's Marine Corps liaison officer.

The Marines from the 9th ESB communications department simulated a scenario that degraded communication lines. The idea was to get the Seabees to use other means to receive information typically provided from higher headquarters and subordinate units.

Seebees participate in a joint Communications Exercise (COMMEX) onboard Camp Shields, Okinawa Japan.
OKINAWA, Japan (Nov. 22, 2021) Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Adam Petty, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5, stands sentry watch during a joint Communications Exercise (COMMEX) onboard Camp Shields, Okinawa Japan. The U.S. Navy Seabees with NMCB-5 completed the COMMEX with Marines assigned to 9th Engineer Support Battalion. NMCB-5 is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, strengthening their alliances and partnerships, and providing general engineering and civil support to joint operational forces. Homeported out of Port Hueneme, California, NMCB-5 has 13 detail sites deployed throughout the U.S. and Indo-Pacific area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Utilitiesman Constructionman William Ramirez)
Seebees participate in a joint Communications Exercise (COMMEX) onboard Camp Shields, Okinawa Japan.
211122-N-MQ841-1014
OKINAWA, Japan (Nov. 22, 2021) Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Adam Petty, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5, stands sentry watch during a joint Communications Exercise (COMMEX) onboard Camp Shields, Okinawa Japan. The U.S. Navy Seabees with NMCB-5 completed the COMMEX with Marines assigned to 9th Engineer Support Battalion. NMCB-5 is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, strengthening their alliances and partnerships, and providing general engineering and civil support to joint operational forces. Homeported out of Port Hueneme, California, NMCB-5 has 13 detail sites deployed throughout the U.S. and Indo-Pacific area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Utilitiesman Constructionman William Ramirez)
Photo By: Seaman William Ramirez
VIRIN: 211122-N-MQ841-1014


"I was able to see things from an outside perspective and identify potential gaps in how the Seabees currently operate concerning the evolving battlespace," said Jackson. "This, in turn, allowed the staff to drive the battalion to experience unfamiliar concepts. Concepts such as minimal communication windows with subordinate commands, new reporting formats, and an emphasis heavily placed on actions needing to be taken via implicit tasking and following commander's intent."

The Marines also executed a proof of concept to reach an adjacent unit over voice and data through the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) assets, essentially an ultra-high frequency satellite communication system. It's NMCB-5's communication department's responsibility to use other communications methods to talk to the detail sites, such as Tinian and Marshall Islands if MUOS goes down.

"[The Marines] did a ton of work in trying to come up with a scenario to test and stress the battalion," said Ensign Ethan Huber, NMCB-5's communication officer. "It was definitely ambitious."

Seebees participate in a joint Communications Exercise (COMMEX) onboard Camp Shields, Okinawa Japan.
OKINAWA, Japan (Nov. 22, 2021) Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Adam Petty and Engineering Aide Constructionman Kaelah Laurent, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5, participate in a joint Communications Exercise (COMMEX) onboard Camp Shields, Okinawa Japan. The U.S. Navy Seabees with NMCB-5 completed COMMEX with Marines assigned to 9th Engineer Support Battalion. NMCB-5 is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, strengthening their alliances and partnerships, and providing general engineering and civil support to joint operational forces. Homeported out of Port Hueneme, California, NMCB-5 has 13 detail sites deployed throughout the U.S. and Indo-Pacific area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Utilitiesman Constructionman William Ramirez)
Seebees participate in a joint Communications Exercise (COMMEX) onboard Camp Shields, Okinawa Japan.
211122-N-MQ841-1007
OKINAWA, Japan (Nov. 22, 2021) Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Adam Petty and Engineering Aide Constructionman Kaelah Laurent, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5, participate in a joint Communications Exercise (COMMEX) onboard Camp Shields, Okinawa Japan. The U.S. Navy Seabees with NMCB-5 completed COMMEX with Marines assigned to 9th Engineer Support Battalion. NMCB-5 is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, strengthening their alliances and partnerships, and providing general engineering and civil support to joint operational forces. Homeported out of Port Hueneme, California, NMCB-5 has 13 detail sites deployed throughout the U.S. and Indo-Pacific area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Utilitiesman Constructionman William Ramirez)
Photo By: Seaman William Ramirez
VIRIN: 211122-N-MQ841-1007


This exercise involved more assets and complexity than previous COMMEXs. There were more radios and antennas. It involved collaborating with higher, adjacent, and supporting commands at various locations without the support of NMCB-5's organic communication department. The exercise demonstrated NMCB-5's ability to use the skills they learned during the homeport training cycle.

"We set a much higher goal," added Huber. "We were challenging ourselves, and it's also a much more accurate reflection of what we would actually have to do, in reality, if something were to happen. It was a much more realistic way to test our capabilities."

Throughout the exercise, the Seabees were able to identify challenges, allowing them to think through potential problems; allowing for lessons learned to tailor future evolutions towards improving specific tasks.

The U.S. Navy Seabees assigned to NMCB-5 are deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, strengthening their network of alliances and partnerships, and providing general engineering and civil support to joint operational forces. Homeported out of Port Hueneme, California, NMCB-5 has 13 detail sites deployed throughout the U.S. and Indo-Pacific area of operations.

 

Google Translation Disclaimer

  • Google Translate, a third party service provided by Google, performs all translations directly and dynamically.
  • Commander, U.S. Navy Region Korea, cnrk.cnic.navy.mil has no control over the features, functions, or performance of the Google Translate service.
  • The automated translations should not be considered exact and should be used only as an approximation of the original English language content.
  • This service is meant solely for the assistance of limited English-speaking users of the website.
  • Commander, U.S. Navy Region Korea, cnrk.cnic.navy.mil does not warrant the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of any information translated.
  • Some items cannot be translated, including but not limited to image buttons, drop down menus, graphics, photos, or portable document formats (pdfs).
  • Commander, U.S. Navy Region Korea, cnrk.cnic.navy.mil does not directly endorse Google Translate or imply that it is the only language translation solution available to users.
  • All site visitors may choose to use similar tools for their translation needs. Any individuals or parties that use Commander, U.S. Navy Region Korea, cnrk.cnic.navy.mil content in translated form, whether by Google Translate or by any other translation services, do so at their own risk.
  • IE users: Please note that Google Translate may not render correctly when using Internet Explorer. Users are advised to use MS Edge, Safari, Chrome, or Firefox browser to take full advantage of the Google Translate feature.
  • The official text of content on this site is the English version found on this website. If any questions arise related to the accuracy of the information contained in translated text, refer to the English version on this website, it is the official version.

Commander, U.S. Navy Region Korea   |   PSC 478 Box 1   |   FPO AP, 96212-0001
Official U.S. Navy Website