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“Hello. I can see you and hear you. Can you see me and hear me?”, asked Sgt. 1st Class Makoto Shiraishi, as his smile filled the frame during the first Zoom call between U.S. Army’s 10th Support Group at Torii Station, Okinawa, and The Japan Ground Self Defense Force’s Basic Enlisted English Couse at Camp Kurume, Japan.
The two units recently finished a trial virtual bilateral engagement where U.S. Army Soldiers and civilian employee personnel met every two weeks with the students of the BEE course online and assisted with their English language learning.
According to the cadre and students at Camp Kurume, this virtual bilateral is the first time this has occurred in the history of the course and the bi-weekly sessions are worth an entire day of English lesson curriculum.
The JGSDF holds their basic enlisted English course for sergeants three times a year at Camp Kurume, Japan. The purpose of the course is to start the servicemembers on a path toward eventually being certified as an interpreter or translator for the Japan Defense Force. Currently, the course only hosts the ground self-defense force members, but is opening to members of the air and maritime defense forces next year.
Early in 2023, the instructor cadre with the BEE course learned of the 10th Support Group’s quarterly bilateral activity with the JGSDF’s Officer Candidate School less than a mile away. That’s when they reached out to 10th SG to see if a new relationship could form between the two entities. Once 10th SG personnel learned about the school and their desire to connect, a plan was hatched to connect online.
According to 10th SG personnel, an obvious benefit to connecting online appeared once they started. The 10th SG realized the potential that having a roster of Japanese personnel speaking English would alleviate language barriers during exercises.
Each fall, the 10th Support Group kicks into high gear to assist with large Pacific Theater bilateral exercises like Orient Shield or Yama Sakura. Typically 10th SG support is centered around multiple types of logistics and ammunition distribution operations.
During these large exercises, U.S. Soldiers and JGSDF members work closely to continue the work to promote democracy and ensure a free and open Pacific region. This year, personnel with the 10th SG began a new type of bilateral partnership; English language training. The Basic Enlisted English Course, 5th Sergeant Training Unit, Western Army Combined Brigade cadre identified a gap in training and requested support. The 10th SG was ready to answer the video call.
“Even though we hire foreign teachers to help our students improve, there are some complaints from students not having an opportunity to improve conversation skills with U.S. Servicemembers whom they will work with,” said Sgt. 1st Class Makoto Shiraishi, a cadre member at the English Training Center in Kurume, Japan.
To alleviate the trainee's concerns, the 10th SG developed a plan to have bi-weekly Zoom meetings with the class to take the opportunity to answer any questions the students have. Since May, different U.S. Army personnel attended the video calls and chats with the Japanese servicemembers every two weeks. Early in the planning prior to the Zoom meetings, the 10th SG members realized that many of the English trainees would not understand specific U.S. military slang or acronyms. U.S. troops from across the 10th Support Group began building a document that would act as a glossary of items that might be encountered during close interactions between U.S. and Japanese Servicemembers during the exercises.
“We identified that the English trainees might understand basic English, but there are many words the U.S. Army uses that are considered jargon or insider language,” said Shigehiro Yabiku, the 10th SG community and bilateral relations officer.
The purpose of the online meetings was to encourage the JGSDF trainees and bolster their confidence in their English speaking skills. According to Shiraishi, confidence is the key to the student’s success.
“The biggest benefit to our partnership through these online sessions with the 10th Support Group is that it builds confidence. Normally, Japanese service members do not have many opportunities to talk to their counterparts other than big exercises such as Yama Sakura or Keen Sword unless they are stationed in Okinawa, so having experience with Americans gives them great confidence,” Shiraishi explained.
Some Soldiers with the 10th SG who participated immediately began to see the potential positive effects these sessions could have.
“I’ve always been a fan of working with our bilateral partners. This event might seem simple, but it proves how committed they are to showing an effort to bridge that language gap,” said Staff Sgt. Kristopher Baumann, an intelligence analyst for the 10th SG. "It is easy to lose that human-to-human interaction and rely on emails to communicate. These events go a long way to building relationships and strengthening bonds. Our Japanese military is here defending their home. We are here alongside them. I enjoy the fact that the 10th SG is ready and willing to participate in these types of events."
According to Baumann, this type of engagement is a low-cost, low-threat way to have an impact while serving alongside allies in Japan. According to Shiraishi, the benefit of these sessions will have a ripple effect in the near and distant future regarding better cooperation and partnership between the U.S. and Japanese militaries.
“After this course, the trainees are going back to their original units expected to function better in bilateral exercises. Knowing military jargon, slang and unique terminology will assist them very well, especially for the Soldiers who will work with 10th SG members in the YS exercise. Understanding the jargon and slang you use in daily conversations and operations will be a key to making operations run more smoothly,” said Shiraishi.
After months of working together, members of the 10th Support Group attended the BEE class 82's graduation ceremony. The two units were able to meet in person. After the graduation, Lt. Col. Richard Barker, the 10th SG public affairs officer, gave a speech congratulating the students and held a short leadership professional development session.
The 10th SG plans to continue the virtual bilateral engagements with BEE class 83 that begins in January 2024.
