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supporting this goal is the continuing de-
velopment of the Torii Pines neighborhood,
construction of which is taking place at
the site of the former station golf course.
“We are building 1,054 new family
housing units, without a single additional
mid-rise building,” said Brian Wottowa,
DPRI program director. “The housing is
a mix of single and multiple family units
including row homes and duplexes. They
are designed to provide a small yard for
everyone and appear similar to the style of
Alexandria, Va. These new homes are one
of the biggest benefits from this program.”
Along with the new neighborhood, sev-
eral quality-of-life facilities will surround
the outer perimeter of the neighborhood.
An independently op- Security guards check customers’ IDs during the Hangar E- “The one thing we wanted to do is to
erated Chili’s Grill & Bar Club’s grand opening at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, Jan. 26, 2018. make everything walkable,” said Myke
opened in February of 2018 (Photo by Lance Cpl. Muriah King, USMC, MCAS Iwakuni) Payne, DPRI planning and coordination
next to the Town Center. chief. “On one side, you have the com-
Currently, a new Marine missary, the command assembly hall and
Corps Exchange (MCX) is under construction, with an open- the child development center. On the other side, you have the
ing planned for 2019, and a food court located nearby will be schools along the border of the area. Essentially, everything
remodeled in the coming year. you need from a family point of view is within a five-minute
The DPRI initiative, agreed to by the U.S. and Japan in walk in the Torii Pines Neighborhood.”
2006, strengthens interoperability and communication between A total of 10 barracks, along with parking structures for
the United States and Japan by redefining roles, missions, and residents are slated to be built. Marine Aviation Logistics
capabilities of alliance forces and outlining key realignment Squadron 12 is also scheduled to live in building 1430F. It
and transformation initiatives, including reducing the number has not been determined what squadrons will occupy the other
of U.S. troops stationed on Okinawa. eight barracks.
“Collaborating helps build a better relationship with our The final Carrier Air Wing 5 squadrons transferring from
Japanese counterparts, and they’re happy to help us with es- NAF Atsugi to Iwakuni arrived this year at the end of March.
tablishing a friendship,” club manager Daniel said. “This will According to a statement released by the Navy on March
help to bring morale up, and that’s a big thing to everyone. 28, “ ... both the U.S. and government of Japan continue to
It is hard to be living in another country, and we all want to work together on other aspects of the relocation, to include
make it better for everyone.” transfer of additional CVW-5 personnel and completion of
new facilities at MCAS Iwakuni to support the relocation.
ENHANCED ALLIANCE Personnel relocation is expected to be completed in the sec-
The Iwakuni transformation, costing more than $3.5 bil- ond half of 2018, while work on operational, community and
lion dollars, is expected to enhance the U.S.-Japan alliance’s community support facilities will continue.”
capability to meet new threats and diverse contingencies and, —MCH
as a whole, to reduce burdens on local communities, thereby
strengthening security and ensuring the alliance remains the
anchor of regional stability, according to the Security Con-
sultative Committee’s Transformation and Realignment for
the Future.
Locally, Iwakuni residents will experience a reduction in
noise and benefit from several shared-use facilities. In order
to relocate the station’s runway a kilometer farther away from
Iwakuni City, the Iwakuni Runway Relocation Project, as it has
come to be known, required construction workers to “reclaim”
approximately 500 acres of land from the sea.
The majority of construction on the air station has been to
prepare for the arrival of VMGR-152 and Carrier Air Wing
5 from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, close to Tokyo; to relocate
Marine Aircraft Group 12 and Marine Aviation Logistics Squad-
ron 12; and to enhance the quality of life for station residents.
In order to make way for the units’ arrival, 1,306 new
structures are being built from the ground up. At the end of March, Carrier Air Group 5 completed its move to
Currently, there are 164 projects ongoing, 45 percent of MCAS Iwakuni. All personnel relocating to the base are expected
which support increasing the station population. One project to be on station by the end of 2018.

APRIL 2018 | MILITARY CLUB & HOSPITALITY 17