NMCB 3 Seabees Head for the Pacific Region

More than 220 Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 homeported at Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme, departed for a six-month deployment to the Pacific Region, Aug. 6.

 The group will arrive in advance of the battalion’s main body to assume control of office spaces, equipment and ongoing projects.

According to NMCB 3’s Commanding Officer Cmdr. Gordon Meek, the deployment will allow NMCB 3 to continue strengthening vital relationships critical to peace and stability in the Pacific.

 “Each NMCB 3 Seabee is a U.S. ambassador and our Seabees understand their mission,” said Meek. “We complete high quality general engineering and construction projects in order to increase the capabilities of the host nation. During the six-month construction process, our Seabees will develop positive relationships that set the stage for the next 20 years. What an awesome privilege.”

One of the first battalions commissioned at the start of World War II, NMCB-3’s legacy stands strong in its ability to build and fight anywhere in the world. The team deploys as either a full battalion or as a group of autonomous detachments that simultaneously complete critical engineering and construction missions.

 “I just tell my kids he has to work,” said Autumn Featherkile, a mother of four who is 34 weeks pregnant. “They are getting old enough where I can tell them what he does in the military. They seem to understand and are very proud.”

For this deployment, NMCB 3 will split into 9 groups to perform critical construction projects in remote island areas such as Timor-Leste, Tonga, Cambodia and the Philippines. The teams will also conduct operations in Atsugi, Yokosuka and Okinawa, Japan; Chinhea, South Korea and China Lake, Calif.

The Naval Construction Force is a vital component of the U.S. Maritime Strategy. They provide deployable battalions capable of providing disaster preparation and recovery support, humanitarian assistance and combat operations support.

NMCB 3 provides combatant commanders and Navy component commanders with combat-ready warfighters capable of general engineering, construction and limited combat engineering across the full range of military operations.

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Press Release, August 12, 2013; Image: US Navy