In the series "From the Field." This week, we report on what is happening locally as the "southwest shift" of defense power progresses. In Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, the construction of an integrated land and sea operation facility is underway. What we learned from our coverage. Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture, is a base town. In Sasebo, issues surrounding the wharf have emerged. Maritime Self-Defense Force Tategami Wharf. Several escort ships are moored side by side. Self-Defense Force personnel call this situation "mezashi." This phenomenon occurs due to a lack of wharves. Former Self-Defense Force personnel point out the delay in facilities. Former MSDF Sasebo District Commander Yoji Koda said, "Compared to the number of ships we possess, there is an extreme shortage of mooring facilities." The problem of wharves is also present in the Ground Self-Defense Force. Amphibious vehicle "AAV7." This special vehicle is operated by the Ground Self-Defense Force Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade in Sasebo. Capable of traveling on both land and sea, the amphibious vehicles are deployed in operations to recapture islands that have been invaded by other countries, but there are operational issues. Reporter (22nd of last month) "The amphibious vehicles are a symbol of the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, but there is no wharf at Ainoura Garrison to load them onto transport ships. So, every time we train on the island, we have to transport them to the wharf where the transport ship is waiting." We covered the work of transporting the amphibious vehicles from their storage location at Ainoura Garrison to the wharf where the transport ship is waiting. There are various restrictions on amphibious vehicles traveling alone on public roads, and the trailers carrying them are also limited to traveling at night due to weight restrictions. The amphibious vehicles are transported to the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kurashima wharf, and once they are loaded onto a transport ship there, they can be deployed to the island for the first time. On-site commanders have an issue with the distance to the wharf... Hajime Kitajima, commander of the GSDF Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, said, "It takes a certain amount of time to load an AAV7 (amphibious vehicle) onto a trailer, move it, and then unload it again, so it would be better if we could do this faster." The problem with the wharf. To solve these problems, the Self-Defense Forces are building a large wharf in the Sakibe area of ​​Sasebo Port. This is a rendering of the completed structure. In the future, amphibious vehicles will be stored near this wharf, so they can be loaded onto ships without the hassle of transportation. The rendering also shows a transport ship that can already carry amphibious vehicles. Until wartime, Sakibe was home to a Japanese Navy air base. This is a video of Sakibe just after the end of the war. It shows a Japanese Navy surface observation aircraft. It was the base of the unit that was the eyes of the Combined Fleet. It will be five years before the completion of the series of facilities in the Sakibe area, where supply and maintenance units are currently located. At that time, the landscape will change completely, and a base for joint operations between the Ground and Maritime Self-Defense Forces, almost unprecedented in the history of the Self-Defense Forces, will be born. The budget, including the amount recorded so far, is 31.4 billion yen. Sasebo, which has flourished as a military port since the Meiji era, is looking to expand its function as a base of operations in the Reiwa era. ▼TBS NEWS DIG Official Website https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/ ▼Please subscribe to our channel! / @tbsnewsdig ▼Information provided by "TBS Insiders" https://www.tbs.co.jp/news_sp/tbs-ins... ▼Video provided by "TBS Scoop Post" https://www.tbs.co.jp/news_sp/toukou... #News #news #TBS #newsdig