130808-N-VN372-003
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3's Builder 1st Class David Garcia gets weighed prior to departing for his detachment in Atsugi, Japan. Advanced party personnel from NMCB 3 have arrived to every deployed location to begin the official turnover of all equipment, office spaces and ongoing projects. 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. For this deployment, NMCB 3 has split into nine detachments 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; Chinhae, 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. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chris Fahey, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 public affairs lead)