Courtesy Photo | An engineering rendering illustrates the proposed, under-construction Combined...... read more read more
The simmering, 90-degree heat and oppressive humidity do not seem to faze the local engineers and workers on site of the future Combined Maritime Operations Center (CMOC) facility aboard the Republic of Korea Fleet (COMROKFLT) naval base in Busan, Korea, as they build up this $28-million facility that will house the new Naval Forces Korea (CNFK) headquarters beginning Fiscal Year 2026.
About 50 kilometers to the west, two other construction projects aboard Fleet Activities Chinhae (CFAC) naval base are taking shape and slated for operation in about a year from now. One is the Naval Special Warfare Ordnance Storage Magazine pad, estimated at approximately $1 million, and the other is a water treatment plant, estimated at $9.5 million.
Together, the three facilities make up one-third of the construction projects in various planning and design stages that will build out Navy Region Korea (CNRK) in the immediate future. Most significantly, they represent the Republic of Korea Funded Construction (ROKFC) projects that are paid entirely by the host nation.
“When we speak of our ROK-US alliance, beyond the obvious military-to-military operations, projects like these illustrate our deep, unbreakable bond between the two nations,” said Mr. Steve Murley, CNRK executive director. “The ROKFC program which began in 1991 under a Special Measures Agreement (SMA) provides in-kind funding to U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) for quality-of-life, mission support, utilities, and warfighting projects. The ROK and we see eye-to-eye as a top priority to take care of sailors and families, and that cohesiveness enables these projects to become reality.”
For example, the approximately 33,000-square-foot two-story CMOC facility will provide operational and administrative spaces along with gear storage and a fitness center for personnel assigned to CNFK in Busan. These capabilities will further enable the command to work closely with the ROK Navy and to strengthen collective security efforts in the Korean Theater.
These projects come about thanks to Region Korea’s engineering team which is responsible for identifying and validating what is required for our naval forces to function effectively and successfully in Korea. “We work closely with the installation (CFAC) and command (CNFK) to determine the scope and budget of every project to optimize our limited resources,” said Ms. Liann Lofton, CNRK assistant region engineer. “Understanding and articulating the requirements critical to supporting the Fleet elevates our priorities and moves our proposals forward.”
It helps that the engineering team includes several Korean National employees who are intimately involved throughout the entire approval process, such as Mr. Yoo Sang Won and Mr. Yi Hun, both interdisciplinary engineers who, with a combined 34 years of experience working with the U.S. military in Korea, understand how the process works with the host nation’s Ministry of Defense (MND), while also possessing the demanded technical knowledge and expertise, according to Lofton. This team effort is about to show results with the ongoing projects that started about a decade ago.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2024 22:34 |
| Story ID: | 480919 |
| Location: | KR |
| Web Views: | 214 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Growing Navy Region Korea One Construction Project at a Time, by LCDR Hien Vu, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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