U.S. Marines provide perimeter security during a Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation demonstration for Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) soldiers at Ojojibara Maneuver Area, Sendai, Japan.

To familiarize Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) soldiers with how the U.S. conducts a Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) in a hostile area, U.S. Marines provided a demonstration. “The Japanese conduct this kind of training too, and we wanted to basically exchange ideas and procedures with them,” said Marine 1st Lt. Gary Cobb. The demonstration was conducted in the JGSDF’s Ojojibara Maneuver Area of Sendal, Japan.

U.S. Marines acting as protestors outside a simulated embassy throw snowballs at Marines inside the gate.

“The [JGSDF] members were interested in how we would handle different aspects at the same time, such as searching evacuees and dealing with rioters and a bomb threat,” said 1st Lt. Cobb. While JGSDF soldiers observed, “The entire Marine Company was out there to simulate the evacuation of American civilians from an embassy, where the environment had become unstable.”

The Marines acted as civilians, who had to show proper identification and meet requirements for entry to a simulated embassy’s grounds. Then, they were escorted to the Evacuation Control Center, where they and their backpacks were searched for weapons or other unauthorized materials. They were then rushed to a helicopter for evacuation to a safe environment.

1st Lt. Cobb added that a NEO involves many factors, such as host country support, planning for evacuation, the number of evacuees, and how to get them to safety. Marine Sgt. Nick Rhea noted that Marines “are the first defense against any threat” during a NEO.

Sgt. Rhea observed that NEO training is becoming more essential. “It is a huge part of the U.S. Marine Corps now, especially in hostile areas of the world.” He further said that during this demonstration for the JGSDF, “Everything came together right and everyone did their job the way they should to ensure the success of the training.”

A U.S. Marine checks an identification card of a Marine acting as an American civilian trying to get into a simulated embassy.
		As JGSDF soldiers look on, a U.S. Marine checks a mock civilian evacuee for any foreignobjects as part of the check-in procedures for the Evacuation Control Center.

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Cpl. Matthew Barkalow, USMC, is assigned to the Consolidated Public Affairs Office, Marine Corps Base Camp S. D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan.