U.S. Marines on Okinawa training with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles

Japan Press Weekly

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U.S. Marines on Okinawa training with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles

The U.S. Marines Corps in Okinawa have begun a training exercise using a new facility set up in October at the U.S. Marine Corps Camp Hansen that will allow Marines to drive Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.

Okubo Yasuhiro, secretary of the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Committee, which has been monitoring the base, learned this in early December.

According to the November 12 issue of Okinawa Marines, the USMC Okinawa’s organ paper, “During the course on Hansen, students drive 75 miles during daylight and 30 miles at night on roads, and drive 15 off-road miles during the day and five at night.”

“The MRAP’s heavy-duty armor provides additional protection from roadside bombs,” specifically improvised explosive devices, IEDs, it says.

Okubo stated, “Recent USMC training exercises on Okinawa suggest that basic functions of U.S. bases in Okinawa are shifting from training focused on jungle operations to urban warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

- Akahata, December 3, 2008