OKINAWA, Japan — Marine Corps Installations Pacific (MCIPAC) reopened Ie Shima Runway December 15, after completing repairs supported by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Pacific Multi Domain Training and Experimentation Capability.
Ie Shima Runway is a critical expeditionary airfield capable of rapid deployment and recovery of aircraft. As one of the few expeditionary runways in Japan, Ie Shima is vital to Marine Corps, Joint Forces and bilateral training and operations.
“PMTEC’s support for airfield repairs at Ie Shima reflects our commitment to building hardened, adaptive infrastructure that strengthens both national defense and local resilience,” said Gary Brown, PMTEC Japan Integrator. “By investing in facilities that can withstand evolving operational demands, we’re ensuring that American forces remain ready, agile, and able to protect U.S. citizens and territory throughout the region. These improvements reinforce mission‑critical capabilities today while laying the groundwork for a more resilient Indo‑Pacific posture tomorrow.”
According to MCIPAC, expeditionary airfields provide an austere environment for aircraft to operate from, whether in contingency operations or humanitarian and disaster relief situations. Ie Shima Runway supports essential training and readiness certifications for C-130 and C-17 aircraft, which are required to land on expeditionary airfields annually. Along with annual certifications, the airfield provides a dynamic training area for Forward Arming and Refueling Points, air-to-ground/ground-to-air operations, and expeditionary set up and tear down, making Ie Shima Runway a premier training location for fixed wing aircraft within the region.
Expeditionary runways are unprepared landing surfaces that require regular maintenance. Ie Shima Runway, with its more rigid surface composition, required repairs beyond standard spot treatments to safely support aircraft operations. PMTEC funding allowed repairs to begin in April 2025, leveraging the capability of the Asphalt Zipper from Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 172. During repairs, Marines gained hands-on, practical experience with critical equipment utilized during contingency and HADR operations. MWSS-172 used this project to develop several Heavy Equipment Marines who are now capable of deploying in small teams to build routes, staging areas, and many other horizontal construction projects not taught during typical training evolutions. The squadron was able to accomplish advanced training standards for the planning and construction of expeditionary airfields, enhancing Marines readiness and proficiency while simultaneously improving the airfield’s operational capacity.
“Horizontal construction projects of this type are rare for the Marine Corps engineers,” said MCIPAC Regional Contracting Office, Director and Chief of Contracting Office, Maj. Erich Lamm. “This has proven to be an extremely beneficial project for the servicemembers involved in planning and executing this level of construction.
“The actual funding cost was over 15 million and a large majority of that funding came from PMTEC… This project would not have made it off the ground without the PMTEC funding. It meant everything.”
About PMTEC: Established in 2022, the Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability is a transformative enterprise funded and resourced by the United States Indo-Pacific Command to enhance joint, combined, and coalition warfighting readiness, posture, and lethality in the Indo-Pacific. It has created and is constantly enhancing the largest coalition range system in the world, linking geographically distributed ranges and training areas across the Indo-Pacific theater and beyond. PMTEC is a key component of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, reinforcing the U.S. commitment to homeland defense and a free and open Indo-Pacific. PMTEC’s integration of advanced training technologies and its alignment with U.S. National Security Strategy make it a cornerstone of U.S. efforts to maintain regional stability and counter adversarial aggression.
AloJapan.com