USFJ commander reviews the troops

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Christopher Marasky
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AB, Japan --  Lt. Gen. Edward A. Rice Jr., U.S. Forces Japan commander and 5th Air Force commander, spoke about the importance of meeting the men and women stationed on Okinawa and seeing the mission up close as he toured Kadena and other local bases June 18-20. 

The general said seeing the service members stationed here with his own eyes helped him to gain a better understanding of the mission American forces here play in the defense of Japan and the strategic importance of Okinawa to peace and security in the region. 

"There is nothing like getting the information firsthand," he said. "It's important to get your eyes on the people who are doing the job." 

After talking with Airmen and Marines over his three day visit, General Rice noted the high morale of service members stationed in Okinawa, something he attributes to a strong understanding of the importance of the mission here in Japan. 

"It's important for us to understand what we are engaged in and the importance of it to our country and our nation," said General Rice. "I think the people I came in contact with on this trip have a very high level of morale," he added, "because they understand what they are doing here, and how important it is." 

General Rice also stressed the importance of U.S. military bases in Okinawa and emphasized that the crucial role they play in the region will continue even as U.S. forces in Japan undergo realignment and transformation. 

"There's nothing that can make up for the geographic location of a certain area," he said. "In this case Okinawa has a proximity to some of the key areas in the Pacific that is hard for us to replicate in other areas. 

"The geography of Okinawa is going to continue to make it very important, not only to the defense of Japan, but to the stability of the region," he said. "It's going to continue to be important to us, even as we adjust the footprint of our forces here and try to make less of an impact on the local communities while still allowing us to continue our alliance with Japan." 

Addressing the results of the recently concluded USFJ Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Task Force, the general said that while the task force's mission was complete, the job of sexual assault prevention would not stop there. He emphasized the ongoing need for bases to share best practices and to continuously look for ways to improve their programs. 

"Our focus and our commitment to preventing sexual assault and inappropriate behavior didn't begin with the task force, and it won't end with the task force," he said. "We will continue rigorous training, and we will continue to work with local communities both on the government and business level to find new and innovative ways to eliminate these instances that are as intolerable to us as they are to the Japanese people." 

Finally, the general made reminded all service members of the strategic importance of their actions on and off base and their responsibility to demonstrate unwavering professionalism in their host nation at all times. 

"We are all serving in a foreign country, so it's important for all of us to remember every day that we are all ambassadors of our nation," he said. "What we do as individuals reflects not only on us as individuals, but as members of our units, as members of our services, and on all U.S. forces here on Okinawa, as well as our nation as a whole."