Category: Security

Source: United States Army

CLAY KASERNE, Germany – U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden officially renamed its fitness center on Clay Kaserne on Saturday, June 27, to the “Master Sergeant Michael B. Riley Fitness Center,” honoring a fallen U.S. Army Green Beret who gave his life in service to the nation.

Master Sgt. Micheal B. Riley, known as “Mike Nice,” was born on December 6, 1986, in Heilbronn, Germany. Raised in Germany, he moved to the United States at age 20 to enlist in the Army in 2006. In 2010, he left Ranger School six weeks before graduation to care for his sick mother and was selected for Special Forces Assessment and Selection. Riley earned his Green Beret in 2013 and returned to graduate Ranger School in 2015.

As a Special Forces Communications Sergeant with 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), he deployed extensively, including six combat tours to Afghanistan, earning decorations such as the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Known for his exceptional physical fitness and his dedication to CrossFit-style training, he was just as defined by his character, a mentor and motivator who pushed those around him to reach their full potential.

“Mike was someone who always motivated people. If Mike saw you as a friend or family, he did everything to make sure you had what you needed, but he also pushed you, because he saw the potential in you that you sometimes didn’t see in yourself,” said Benny Brand with the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Command Team and Rileys’ best friend. “He constantly challenged people to improve themselves. He pushed people not because he enjoyed seeing them struggle, but because he believed in them.”

On June 25, 2019, Riley was killed during combat operations in Shinia Village, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, at the age of 32. Remembered for his skill, selflessness, and dependability, he exemplified the Special Forces ethos of quiet professionalism, loyalty, and service before self, leaving a lasting legacy through all those he trained, served alongside, and inspired.

“Mike was an outstanding Soldier who deployed to Afghanistan six times and paid the ultimate sacrifice. For something like that, it’s simply right to do this, and I’m glad it worked out,” Brand said of the facility dedication.

Special guests to the event were Mike’s mother Andrea with family members and Sgt. Major George Graham,former 10th SFG (A) Command Sgt. Maj.andRileys’ mentor.

Riley’s mother got awarded the symbolical key to the fitness center, acknowledging that although the Army owns the building, it will always bear her son’s name and story.

“Today marks a bittersweet moment for everyone who knew Master Sergeant Mike Riley,” saidGraham, “While we can no longer physically see his infectious smile or hear his laughter, with the dedication of this remarkable fitness facility today, a perpetual symbol is forged that will outlive everyone in attendance and preserve Mike’s accomplishments as a son, brother, fearless warrior, and mentor.”

Also in attendance were many of his teammates, both active-duty and retired, including Soldiers who traveled from Fort Carson, Colorado, as well as members of 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) stationed in Germany.

“We’re here today to dedicate this building to Master Sergeant Michael Riley, so that when soldiers, civilians, families, and kids walk through these doors, they’ll read his story,” said Gen. Christopher Donahue,Commanding General United States Army Europe and Africa, who was also the Special Operations Commander during Rileys last time in Afghanistan.“Every daythey’llknow who Mike was. Every daythey’llknow who to live up to. Every day, Mike will continue to live.”

The renaming ceremony was combined with a memorial run and the annual community “Hero” workout.

To keep Riley’s memory alive, Brand has organized a fitness day every year since 2020, the Micheal B. Riley Hero Day, motivating participants to push themselves and work on their own growth. The memorial workout was created by Riley’s fellow Green Berets after his death and reflects the elite physical standard Mike held himself to.

It consists of four rounds, each beginning with a 400-meter run (optionally completed with a weighted ruck or vest), followed by 20 burpees, 10 pull-ups, and 10 power cleans, performed in any order.

“This Hero Workout of the Day (WOD) isn’t about competition, that’s really important. Everyone can take part,” explained Brand. “It’s about coming together to remember a fallen hero. Whether you’re an experienced athlete or trying a workout like this for the first time, everyone is welcome. The whole point is just to show up and honor Mike.”

Hosted at the Wiesbaden fitness center every year, the event has grown larger with each passing year. This yearGerman Polizei, Bundeswehr Soldiers and German Firefighters joined in on the memorial event.In total over 300 people participated on one of the hottest daysof the year.

“At Mike’s funeral, when I said my final goodbye, I made him a promise. I promised him that we’d do everything we could to keep his memory and legacy alive,” said Brand. ”And […] today, I’m able to keep my word.”

The renaming of the Wiesbaden fitness center stands as a lasting tribute to a Soldier who paid the ultimate sacrifice and to the legacy of friendship, strength, and selflessness he leaves behind.

Source: United States Army

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas — Brittney Pemble, budget analyst for Army Corrections Command at Fort Leavenworth, has been recognized for her dedication, initiative and financial acumen with an Army-level financial management award.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller) recently announced the recipients of the fiscal year 2025 Army FM&C Awards, celebrating premier achievements within the Army’s financial workforce. (See related article on page A4.) Pemble won the Army FM&C Budget Category Award.

As a budget analyst, Pemble is responsible for managing and executing ACC’s financial resources.

“The expected outcome of her duties is to ensure the timely and efficient allocation of funds through contracts and Military Interdepartmental Purchase Requests to support the ACC’s multifaceted mission, including maintaining its professional accreditation and ensuring the operational readiness of its security systems,” ACC G8 Director Caleb Curnutt explained in the award nomination.

Curnutt said Pemble has been working beyond the scope of her role as a budget analyst, including rectifying a $2 million accounting error.

“(When) she was doing her analysis, she came across a pretty big faux pas in terms of how Army Corrections Command was tracking civilian pay,” he said. “Civilian pay had been mismanaged for a very long time in terms of estimated, what was going to be spent, compared to what actually got spent. So, it led to a lot of misleading and misguiding decisions from a command standpoint, because command always felt like, ‘We’re going to be over-executing by close to $2 million,’ when really that wasn’t accurate. And so, by going with (Pemble’s) method, it led to alleviating that $2 million decrement, and really putting that $2 million back on the table to be spent elsewhere, because we weren’t living in fear anymore.”

Curnutt said Pemble is integral in making sure ACC’s mission does not fail.

“She keeps up with the management and execution of government funds, taxpayer dollars,” he said. “She was, during this time, a big proponent in managing the electronic security systems… so in terms of making sure that our prisoners stay behind the wall, she was a huge proponent in overseeing the management of that system and making sure that everything got funded that needed to be, where things needed fixed, things corrected, preventive maintenance — she was kind of the project manager for that for a good chunk of time during FY25.”

Pemble said her job has her working on all kind of things, such as contracts, status of funds, briefing slides, the electronic security system and more for ACC locally, as well as ACC in Europe, Korea and at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

“Pemble expertly executed $3.9 million across 40 separate contracts and MIPRs,” Curnutt wrote in the nomination. “This represents a remarkable 40 percent of all contracts within the ACC, a workload that significantly outpaced all other budget analysts in the command. Her meticulous management of these resources was instrumental in providing the necessary funding for mission-critical requirements.”

Pemble said knowing what is appropriate and legal, as well as the order of a process, are important in her work.

“Overall, the ESS project would be managed by Army Corps of Engineers, but I would work directly with them more on the funding piece to make sure things are funded in the order that they need to be,” she said. “It gets a little convoluted — OMA (Operations and Maintenance, Army) versus OPA (Other Procurement, Army) — that’s just the different types of money we have to fund certain things. You have to know exactly what it is to know if it should be OMA, should it be OPA.”

Curnutt said Pemble’s work involves a lot of fiscal law.

“But then you have to also understand the system to a point to understand that it doesn’t make sense to fund the maintenance until the project is done,” Pemble added, “or there are certain aspects of the project that have to go in a certain order.”

Curnutt described the process as a layered cake.

“You have to deal with not only decision support from command and what their priorities are, but then you have to go into the decision support of, ‘Hey, we only have so much money, so what is it you want to fund? Now that we know what you want to fund, what can we fund legally?’ And so, it’s just that layered cake of decision support that eventually leads to the ultimate funding of certain items,” he said.

Pemble volunteered to take on the electronic security system contract management duties upon the retirement of the ESS subject matter expert.

“This complex responsibility is not typically required of a budget analyst, but seeing a critical gap, she took on the task without hesitation to ensure the continued security and integrity of the command’s facilities,” Curnutt wrote in the nomination.

Curnutt also noted that Pemble stepped in as acting deputy G8 when the need arose while simultaneously executing her regular budget analyst duties. She also managed 32 American Corrections Association folders, part of ACC’s accreditation process, and thus contributed to the ACC’s most recent flawless audit.

“Pemble’s initiative to take on leadership and technical responsibilities far outside her normal duties demonstrates a level of commitment and professionalism that is truly rare,” he wrote in the nomination. “She has not only excelled in her own role but has also ensured the success of the wider mission through her selfless service. Her actions are a testament to her character and her unwavering dedication to the organization.”

Pemble will be honored by Army FM&C July 16 in a virtual ceremony.

Fort Leavenworth budget analyst receives Army-level financial management award

Source: United States Army

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U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

VICENZA, Italy – U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Andrew C. Gainey transferred his authority to U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Matthew W. Brown during a change of command ceremony at Caserma Ederle, June 26, beginning a new era for U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF).

Approximately 250 Soldiers stood in formation on Hoekstra Field to witness Gainey pass the unit colors to Brown in a ceremony whose origins date back to the Roman Empire, signifying that a military unit is never without a leader. Several distinguished visitors, Department of the Army Civilians, local community dignitaries and family members also attended the ceremony.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commanding general of U.S. Africa Command, was the first distinguished speaker to address the audience. He described the ceremony as “unique” because “the entire change of command stays within my family.”

Both Gainey’s and Brown’s new positions will keep them focused on Africa-centric missions, representing no loss of experience or institutional knowledge. Gainey’s next assignment will take him to U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany, where he will serve as the J5 officer in charge of strategy, engagement and programs. Brown was most recently the commanding general of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa in Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti.

As SETAF‑AF’s commanding general, Gainey advanced a modernization agenda focused on rapid innovation and technology integration, highlighted by his creation of the Advanced Capabilities Directorate. This approach reshaped exercise African Lion and the African Land Forces Summit, drawing unprecedented participation from tech investors and defense industry partners. For the first time in its 20-plus-year history, African Lion 2026 gave vendors and innovators direct access to U.S. and partner‑nation decision‑makers and operational end users, strengthening the command’s strategic posture on the continent.

Anderson also described Gainey’s contributions to bigger-picture accomplishments that improved security in Africa, which also had greater security implications beyond its borders.

“When we thought there would be trouble in West Africa, we stood up Joint Task Force Lion and it was seamless,” Anderson said. “Andy’s team didn’t just execute; they built partnerships … that allowed us to establish a presence and enduring relationships.”

U.S. Army Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, presided over the change of command ceremony. He congratulated Gainey for his performance leading SETAF-AF and specifically mentioned the evolution of African Lion (SETAF-AF’s biggest annual training exercise), credited to Gainey’s tenure.

“African Lion has been transformed into the most important exercise we do as an Army element in Europe or Africa,” Donahue said. “That is the organization [Gainey] has built — and Andy, we can’t thank you enough for what you have done.”

Donahue went on to voice his support and confidence in Brown’s selection as SETAF-AF’s new leader and wished him well in his new post.

“In Matt Brown, you’re getting a guy who has done everything,” Donahue said. “If you look at all the allies he has worked with and all the assignments he has had — his most recent in the Horn of Africa — you are going from a great leader to a great leader. Matt, we know you are going to do exceptionally well.”

As Gainey took the podium, he recalled knowing that he was “walking in the footsteps of giants” when he first took command of SETAF-AF two years ago.

“This historic formation that goes back to 1955 is tremendous, and it’s an honor to walk into an organization like this that exceeds your every expectation. It’s an honor to have the opportunity to be able to say that this is the organization that you command,” Gainey said. “The Soldiers [of this formation] are absolutely exceeding the standard that reflects that caliber of excellence.”

Brown’s first comments as SETAF-AF’s new commanding general reflected his enthusiasm for his new post and those he will be working with.

“I am receiving the trust and confidence you’ve placed in me with a great deal of humility,” Brown said. “I will extend and amplify all that trust and confidence to the men and women of this task force as we — alongside all the allies and partners of the United States — put the full potential of our part of the American Army into operation in support of theater objectives. Our Vicenza Military Community naturally rallies around the common goal of taking care of our Soldiers and our families, and I am excited to work alongside every single one of you towards that end over these next years.”

His command assignment with SETAF-AF successfully complete, Gainey thanked his family, Anderson, Donahue and several colleagues whose support helped him lead SETAF-AF, and from whom he learned so much.

“Thank you for the privilege of allowing me to command this formation,” Gainey said. “It’s been an absolute honor and pleasure to have served as your commander for SETAF-AF. Words cannot express what my family and I are going through. It’s very difficult to leave this wonderful community. As I look out on the field, I see awesome leaders and awesome Soldiers supported by an awesome civilian force — a family that continues to pour its life blood into this formation.”

About SETAF-AF

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.

Follow SETAF-AF on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn & DVIDS

Source: United States Army

TROY, N.Y. – The last of the 500 New York National Guard Soldiers who deployed to the Middle East with the headquarters of the 42nd Infantry Division returned to New York from federal active-duty deployment at the beginning of June.

The Soldiers mobilized in late May 2025 to serve as the command headquarters for Task Force Spartan, the Army’s 10,000-Soldier force in the region.

The New York National Guard Soldiers were serving in that role when President Donald Trump made the decision to launch hostilities against Iran under the code name Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28.

Maj. Gen. Jack James, commander of the 42nd Infantry Division, furled the division’s colors during a June 6 ceremony in the region.

James’ command element was the last part of the headquarters to return to the United States.

Command of Task Force Spartan was turned over to the Texas Army National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division.

Soldiers had been returning from the Middle East to New York for more than two months before James’ final handover of command to the Texas National Guard.

The original mission for the 42nd Division headquarters Soldiers focused on exercises with regional allies, including Operation Bright Star in Egypt in September 2025. The 42nd Soldiers also conducted operations designed to build regional allies’ military capacity and deter regional aggression.

The decision to launch combat operations changed the mission for the New York Guard Soldiers and the rest of the task force, James said during the handover ceremony with the 36th Division.

“Our team accomplished a number of [combat] firsts,” James said. “[Every one of them was] enabled by our world-class communicators, maintainers, and sustainers, without whose efforts we could not have prevailed.”

The turnover between the 42nd and 36th division headquarters was delayed so the 42nd Division could continue to focus on combat operations longer, according to Lt. Gen. Kevin Leahy, commanding general of U.S. Army Central and Third Army.

“This was one of the longest relief-in-place operations in history. It allowed two legendary divisions to work together, with the 36th stepping in to manage key tasks so the 42nd could maintain an uninterrupted focus on combat operations – some of the most complex combat operations in U.S. Army history,” Leahy said.

The headquarters Soldiers did a tremendous job of switching to combat operations at short notice, James said.

“The 42nd Infantry Division has once again proven itself to be a shining example of American military excellence,” James said. “Our soldiers have demonstrated unwavering bravery, selflessness, and dedication to our mission, and I couldn’t be prouder to lead such an exceptional team.”

Among their accomplishments was overseeing the targeting of the Army’s new Precision Strike Missile against Iranian targets, James said. The new missile is fired from the battle-tested HIMARS launching system and has a range of more than 300 miles.

“The firing of the first precision missile in combat is a testament to our division’s ability to adapt and innovate in the face of adversity,” James said.

Command Sgt. Maj. Arnold Reyes, the highest-ranking enlisted Soldier in the division, also praised the Soldiers for their adaptability.

“The Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division have shown remarkable resilience and determination in the face of a challenging and dynamic operational environment. I am honored to serve alongside such a talented and dedicated group of warriors,” Reyes said.

The 42nd Infantry Division is headquartered in Troy, New York, and includes 5,500 New York National Guard Soldiers, as well as Soldiers from the National Guards of New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and several other states.

The division was formed in 1917 when elements from 26 state National Guard units were combined into a single multistate division to deploy quickly to France during World War I. Douglas MacArthur, then a colonel who later became a five-star general, said the division would reach across America “like a rainbow,” and the nickname stuck.

In World War II, the “Rainbow Division” fought across southern Germany, capturing the cities of Wurzburg, Nuremberg and Munich, and liberating the Dachau concentration camp.

The division became part of the New York National Guard in 1947. Soldiers from the 42nd Infantry Division responded in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in New York City.

The division headquarters and major support elements deployed to Iraq in 2005 to lead Task Force Liberty, marking the first time a National Guard headquarters had gone to war since 1953. Rainbow Soldiers also fought in Afghanistan.

The division headquarters was also deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operations in the Middle East in 2020 to lead Task Force Spartan.

Related Links

The Official Website of the National Guard | NationalGuard.mil

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Source: United States Army

ORCHARD COMBAT TRAINING CENTER, Idaho — A heavy-lift drone climbed into 25 mph gusts above the high desert June 22, carrying a live Bangalore torpedo toward a wire obstacle.

For combat engineers, breaching that kind of obstacle is one of the most dangerous missions on the battlefield. Army doctrine accounts for that risk with a 50 percent casualty planning factor for a deliberate breach.

This time, no Soldier had to sprint forward to place the charge.

Soldiers from Bravo Company, 741st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oregon Army National Guard, used a drone-delivered Bangalore torpedo to breach the wire obstacle on Range 22. The drone released the charge, shock tube unspooled behind it and the Soldiers took cover before the Bangalore detonated, opening a lane through the wire.

The proof of concept marked the close of a months-long innovation effort by the 741st BEB’s drone working group. Battalion commander Lt. Col. Eric Zimmerman established the group with a directive to defeat a wire obstacle using a commercial off-the-shelf or similar drone during the battalion’s annual training. The working group’s research found no precedent for the tactic in the U.S. Army.

“Mostly Ukraine,” Zimmerman said when asked what drove the concept. “Watching what was going on in Ukraine, and how innovative they are, it inspires you to get better and think bigger.”

The doctrinal cost of a breach added urgency to the effort.

“The most casualty-producing thing that Army engineers do is the breach,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Lucas, who co-led the working group from the battalion S-3 section. “Expect 50 percent casualties. If you can deliver something to clear the breach with a $40,000 drone, instead of putting soldiers in harm’s way, that’s worth experimenting with.”

Innovation surrounded by doctrine

Zimmerman said his intent was to apply emerging technology to a problem engineers already know how to solve.

“I want us to talk about drones around something we already do really well, which is defeating obstacles,” he said. “So let’s do this non-doctrinal thing, but surround it with doctrine.”

The working group was led by Lucas and Capt. Samuel Cushing, the battalion’s plans officer, with input from senior noncommissioned officers, including 1st Sgt. Joshua Martin. The team first studied commercially available drones priced from $2,000 to $40,000.

After funding for a commercial purchase did not come through, the team turned to the Oregon Army National Guard’s 249th Regional Training Institute. The RTI’s existing drone-build program could not produce an airframe with the lift capacity required by the mission. Lt. Col. Mark Timmons, the 249th RTI commander, told the working group his program could not meet the requirement within the available timeline.

Rather than abandon the effort, the battalion operations section continued pursuing alternatives. Working from specifications developed by the drone working group, Maj. Harvey, the battalion S-3, and Martin, the battalion operations noncommissioned officer, vetted industry partners before determining Lorica Technologies could meet the requirement.

When Lucas arrived for annual training, he believed the search had come up short.

“We’d been told no, it’s not going to happen, we’re not going to get a drone,” he said. “And that’s when Maj. Harvey said, ‘Oh, we actually got a drone.’ So, full speed ahead.”

The Mule 28

Lorica’s contribution was the Mule 28, a heavy-lift, multi-mission unmanned aerial system designed and built in-house at the company’s Ashland facility.

The airframe weighs about 45 pounds, can lift about 200 pounds and is powered by eight motors turning eight 28-inch bi-bladed propellers. It carries onboard artificial intelligence processing, software-defined radios and a sensor package designed to support recognition and targeting functions. The drone can also derive coordinates from its camera using trigonometry and focal length, allowing it to mark drop points on objects it identifies.

Lorica founder and CEO Christopher Dye said the company’s software, including a swarm-control system called Hive, is what makes the platform distinct.

“It doesn’t matter what the vehicle is, as long as we understand the capabilities and the parameters of the vehicle,” Dye said. “We can task the swarm based on what the job needs to get done. Right now, we’re working on natural language control, so that you can just talk to the bird and tell it, ‘Hey, I want a reconnaissance around this building. I need to know how big that ditch is before we get there, how many steps, how high the windows are.'”

Lorica currently fields three Mule 28 prototypes. The company had about six weeks to develop the airframe for the Oregon project.

Cushing said working with a domestic manufacturer to build to specification, rather than buying a commercial drone with Chinese components, was a deliberate choice that helped reduce electronic warfare and supply chain vulnerabilities.

“It’s been helpful to have contractors that can meet every specification we’re asking for and produce a drone that also meets the Army’s intent for any sort of technology that we integrate,” he said.

Building the safety case

The team built safety into the project by increasing risk in stages. The drone first carried an inert training aid identical in size and weight to the M1A3 Bangalore. Once the platform could reliably deliver an inert charge on target, the team progressed through limited live-fire iterations before flying a live, two-section M1A3 Bangalore torpedo.

Every iteration involving live explosives was initiated using a shock tube spooled from the drone to the obstacle. The team deliberately avoided an electronic trigger that could be jammed or prematurely activated.

“Ideally, you would love to be able to remote-detonate this without having to have a spool of shock tube,” Lucas said. “But in the LSCO environment, we’ve seen so many other systems jammed that if you have the ability to, it’s not a detriment that we’re doing it this way.”

The M1A3 Bangalore torpedo demolition kit consists of 10 tube sections, each 2.5 feet long and containing a 5-pound Composition B4 main charge. Doctrine permits up to four sections joined together for a single shot. The working group used two-section assemblies June 22 and made one small adjustment to prevent the blasting cap junction from pulling loose in flight.

“We’re trying to introduce a new TTP here anyway,” Cushing said. “We want to see if we can deliver a Bangalore remotely and defeat a wire obstacle. Everything beyond that is something we’ll take into consideration as the project evolves.”

Mobility and counter-mobility

Both working group officers said the broader value of the project is giving engineers a tool tailored to their core mission rather than relying only on infantry-focused drone applications that have dominated the field.

“Mobility, counter-mobility is the bread and butter of the engineers, so we should focus on leaning into that versus infantry tasks,” Lucas said.

Cushing said the Bangalore breach could become a foundation for broader experimentation.

“The platform they’ve built, if we got an entire annual training with plenty of explosives, range time, and the ability to make modifications as we go, I think we could be defeating 10, 20 times more obstacles than we’re talking about today.”

Lucas said the next conceptual step is autonomy.

“We’re not that far technologically from a drone that has an AI processor on it that could identify where concertina wire is. And you could put in a rough coordinate of, ‘Hey, I know the obstacle’s there,’ and you could send it to autonomously deploy the Bangalore on the wire with near-perfect precision, where there’s no possibility of it being jammed, because it’s all running off of internal direction.”

Dye said the next iteration of the Mule 28 will refine flight controls, dropping mechanisms and safety systems, with the goal of integrating AI-driven obstacle recognition that could allow the drone to identify a wire obstacle, position itself and release the charge autonomously. Lorica plans to return to additional inert drops in the coming weeks and is preparing for follow-on demonstrations.

Zimmerman said the successful demonstration reflected more than a new capability. It showed collaboration across the battalion.

“I’m really proud. We have a true group project that highlights innovation across everything we do is possible,” he said. “The Soldiers of Bravo Company took an idea from the battalion staff and applied their expertise to make that idea functional and effective.”

For Dye, watching the live Bangalore release and detonate as planned was, in a word, “relief.”

“It’s been very nerve-wracking the last few days,” he said.

The 741st BEB plans to capture lessons learned in a battalion white paper and forward the concept to the engineer community.

Related Links

The Official Website of the National Guard | NationalGuard.mil

State Partnership Program | NationalGuard.mil

The National Guard on Facebook | Facebook.com/TheNationalGuard

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The National Guard on Instagram | Instagram.com/us.nationalguard

The National Guard on X | X.com/USNationalGuard

The National Guard on YouTube | YouTube.com/TheNationalGuard

Source: United States Army

CAMP ZAMA, Japan – Half a world away from home, the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance isn’t just being forged in high-level strategic meetings. It is being built in the mud, shoulder-to-shoulder, on the banks of the Sagami River near Camp Zama.

Around 75 volunteers, including Camp Zama Soldiers, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force personnel and citizens from neighboring communities, gathered June 7 at the Shindo Sports Ground for an annual U.S.-Japan joint cleanup, now going on its seventh year.

The event brought together local residents alongside leadership from U.S. Army Garrison Japan, the Camp Zama JGSDF, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the South Kanto Defense Bureau, and the mayors of Zama and Sagamihara cities.

While the event was rooted in environmental stewardship, participating leaders emphasized a broader message: Grassroots community integration serves as the vital, beating heart of the U.S. military’s presence in the Indo-Pacific.

For Sgt. 1st Class Joseph C. Delay, assigned to the 78th Signal Battalion, that integration simply begins with being a good neighbor.

“The main reason I came out is for the sense of community,” Delay said. “I walk my dogs out here. It’s a beautiful area, and helping clean it up ensures it’s safe for my dogs, safe for me, and safe for the community. I just feel like a member of this community.”

For centuries, the Sagami River has served as an ancestral landmark and the lifeblood of the local ecosystem, making the preservation of its banks a shared responsibility for local citizens, the U.S. military, and its partners.

While the event drew high-level officials, the true core of the cleanup was found in the quiet, side-by-side moments of connection between neighbors on the riverbank. Every piece of trash collected was a tangible demonstration of “Kizuna,” the Japanese concept of an enduring bond.

For Yusuke Minami, chief of the Zama Defense Office for the SKDB, this shared physical space is precisely where true bilateral relationships take root.

“Building a good relationship starts with knowing the other party and letting them know you,” Minami said. “Despite the advancement of technology and communication tools, nothing beats direct interaction where you can physically shake hands. Working together toward a common goal like this is incredibly meaningful.”

“When I was cleaning up, we worked together to separate out the plastic bottles from the rest of the trash,” Delay recalled. “The Self-Defense Forces are very good professionals, and it’s great to work with them whenever I can. Today just shows how great we can be when we come together and support each other.”

Minami agreed, noting that the shared effort leaves a lasting impression on the community that goes well beyond just the cleanliness of the riverbank.

“Through this cleanup activity, I believe that not only the location itself, but the hearts of everyone who participated, were made cleaner as well,” Minami said.

USAG Japan plans to continue this annual joint cleanup activity to maintain the local ecosystem and reinforce ties between U.S. military personnel, host-nation partners, and neighboring municipalities.