Camp Hansen is a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

base located in

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, Japan. The camp is situated in the town of Kin, near the northern shore of Kin Bay, and is the second-northernmost major installation on Okinawa, with Camp Schwab to the north. The camp houses approximately 6,000 Marines nowadays, and is part of Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, which itself is not a physical base and comprises all Marine Corps installations on Okinawa. Camp Hansen is named for

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

recipient

Dale M. Hansen Private Dale Merlin Hansen (December 13, 1922 – May 11, 1945) was a United States Marine who earned the United States' highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his outstanding heroism on May 7, 1945, in the fight for Hill 60 ...

, a Marine Corps private who was honored for his heroism in the fight for Hill 60 during the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

. Hansen was killed by a Japanese sniper's bullet three days after his actions on Hill 60. Built on the site of the former Chimu Airfield, the Camp was completed on September 20, 1965 after 29 months of construction by USN Mobile Construction Battalions 3, 9, and 11.

Tenant units

* Headquarters,

12th Marine Regiment The 12th Marine Regiment is an artillery regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Smedley Butler, Okinawa, Japan. Nicknamed "Thunder and Steel," the regiment falls under the command of the 3rd Marine Division. Mission Provide ...

3rd Battalion 12th Marines 3rd Battalion 12th Marines (3/12) is an artillery battalion comprising four firing batteries and a Headquarters Battery. The firing batteries are not permanently assigned to the battalion- they are all on 6 month rotations in Okinawa from the 10 ...

* 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion *

3rd Intelligence Battalion The 3rd Intelligence Battalion (3rd Intel) is a Marine Corps Intelligence military intelligence and counterintelligence unit based at Marine Corps Base Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan. It provides the III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) with i ...

7th Communication Battalion The 7th Communication Battalion is a communications battalion in the United States Marine Corps. Mission 7th Communication Battalion will establish, maintain, and defend communication networks and services simultaneously for Marine Air Ground Tas ...

* 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit * 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) * 9th Engineer Support Battalion * Special Operations Training Group * Elements of the

3rd Reconnaissance Battalion The 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion (3rd Recon) conducts amphibious and ground reconnaissance in support of the 3rd Marine Division and Marine Forces Pacific (MarForPac), operating in the commander's areas of influence. The Battalion is based o ...

. * 3rd Marine Division Truck Company * III MEF Information Group (MIG) * 2nd Battalion 11th Marines *3rd Ordnance Maintenance Company (OMC)

Base information

The base is home to the Central Training Area, which includes several

firing range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, venue or field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice or competitions. Some shooting ranges are operated by milita ...

s, a pair of shooting houses which support live fire training, and other training areas, being one of the few locations on the island where weapons firing is permitted. Also located at Camp Hansen is a

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part ...

, a confinement facility that houses U.S. military members from around the Far East for short term sentences. Facilities include a Post Exchange, a theater, a convenience store, two gyms, and a "consolidated entertainment facility" known as The Palms, which has two restaurants, as well as enlisted, SNCO, and officer clubs. In March 2008, the

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service ...

began training at Camp Hansen, as part of the reorganization of U.S. forces in Japan and the move towards sharing facilities between American and Japanese troops.

Controversies

In September 1995, three U.S. servicemen stationed in Camp Hansen rented a van,

kidnapped Kidnapped may refer to: * subject to the crime of kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically ...

and

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

d a 12-year-old Japanese girl. The crime “stirred furor” among the Okinawans, according to ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

''. According to documents leaked by

Edward Snowden Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American and naturalized Russian former computer intelligence consultant who leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, when he was an employee and s ...

and published by ''

The Intercept ''The Intercept'' is an American left-wing news website founded by Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill, Laura Poitras and funded by billionaire eBay co-founder Pierre Omidyar. Its current editor is Betsy Reed. The publication initially repor ...

'', the site hosts an NSA collection facility codenamed CAMELUS. It uses a PUSHER-type antenna.

References

External links

*
An Insider's Guide to USMC Bases
{{US Marine Corps navbox Hansen Installations of the U.S. Department of Defense in Japan United States Armed Forces in Okinawa Prefecture

Tenant units

Base information

Controversies

See also

References

External links