18th Civil Engineer Squadron

 

The 18th Civil Engineer Group is the largest civil engineer unit in the U.S. Air Force and consists of two Squadrons, the 18th and the 718th Civil Engineer Squadrons. These organizations are typically aligned as a squadron under a mission support group across most of the Air Force. However, due to the scope and complexity of the mission here at Kadena Air Base it was necessary to elevate it to a civil engineer group with two squadrons.

The 18th CEG comprised of 450 military and 1,250 civilians and local nationals. They provide world class engineering and emergency response services to the 18th Wing across the full mission spectrum. The 18th CEG supports a base worth of $17.5 billion while supporting a population of 35,000 from 6 major commands, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Army and other units assigned to Kadena.

The 18th Civil Engineer Squadron is responsible for four flights that undertake the daily maintenance and recovers the installation from natural or man-made disasters. All while openly training with their joint and bilateral partners.

The Operations flight sustains infrastructure and over 6,800 facilities. The flight provides 24/7 customer service including: response to utility outages, typhoon preparation/recovery and pest management.

The Fire and Emergency Services flight responds to 4,000 emergency calls a year and manages the scene when there is a fire, medical rescue, or environmental emergency within the base.

The Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight responds to an average of 45 munitions-related incidents/accidents per year to eliminate the treats of damaged aircraft countermeasures, old WWII munitions and suspected improvised explosive devices.

The Readiness and Emergency flight assume the role of the installation’s emergency manager. The flight is composed of experts in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive incident response/mitigation/training, in-garrison/deployed weapons of mass destruction response, hazardous material incident response, natural disasters and major accidents, and public health emergencies.