7th Communication Battalion Marines bolster expeditionary communications on Okinawa during Kaiju Rain 26

Marines with 7th Communication Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, rehearsed rapid displacement of command-and-control sites across Okinawa on May 9, packing antennas, securing satellite equipment and loading gear into tactical vehicles under heavy rain during Kaiju Rain 26.

The III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group-led exercise focuses on strengthening distributed command-and-control, integrating information capabilities and improving operational readiness throughout the Indo-Pacific. For communications Marines, the mission centered on staying connected while remaining difficult to detect.

“If you stay in a fixed place for too long, the adversaries can figure out where you’re at,” said 1st Lt. Kaden Cuevas, a communications officer with 7th Communication Battalion. “The reason why we practice moving is so we can go ahead and make sure that we stay alive as long as possible.”

Throughout the exercise, Marines established expeditionary communication nodes capable of supporting command-and-control operations while repeatedly displacing across Okinawa to simulate the challenges of operating against hostile forces capable of targeting fixed positions. Cuevas, serving as the detachment officer in charge for a communications node, oversaw approximately 39 Marines responsible for maintaining communications capabilities while maneuvering between locations.

On May 9, Marines displaced from Camp Courtney to Camp Hansen’s Combat Town after simulating the compromise of a previous position, tearing down antennas, securing systems and re-establishing capabilities at a new site. “The point of being there was simulating that first interaction with hostile forces,” said Sgt. Richard Bullock, a satellite communications operator with 7th Communication Battalion. “Then we jumped over to our fallback site, Combat Town. That’s simulating either that site fell through or that we just had to move.”

The movement emphasized speed, mobility and survivability while operating in Okinawa’s demanding environment. Rain and humidity routinely interfered with equipment, forcing Marines to adapt. “One of the biggest problems we’ve seen out here so far is weather interfering with a lot of our communications gear,” Bullock said. “We’ve had to be creative with how we go about solving that and working around that problem.”

Marines adjusted frequencies, switched between satellite bands and experimented with different antenna configurations to maintain reliable links. The environmental challenges reinforced the need to balance concealment with effectiveness. “I think the most important part is giving people stable communications while also trying to stay as hidden as possible,” Cuevas said. “If people can’t talk, then we can’t control the battlefield. But at the same time, if everybody can see us, that makes us a pretty big target.”

As teams established nodes beneath camouflage netting and concealed antennas among Okinawa’s terrain, the exercise tested the battalion’s ability to maintain command-and-control while reducing their physical and electronic signature. Bullock described communications Marines as a critical link between commanders and forces operating across the battlefield. “Without communications, your commanders can’t tell the troops where to go, how to get there, or anything like that,” Bullock said. “Comms is one of the most important things for anyone, especially at the MEF level.”

The training also gave junior Marines opportunities to adapt to unfamiliar conditions and solve problems independently in the field. “Sometimes you have to let the Marines work,” Cuevas said. “If you’re just on top of them all the time, then you don’t give them the space to work.”

For many participants, Kaiju Rain 26 underscored the need to operate faster, lighter and more efficiently while sustaining field operations over time. “We have to be quick and light,” Bullock said. “The minimal amount of gear that’s required for us to get fully operational.”

“As rain continued to fall over Okinawa and Marines prepared for their next movement, the exercise reinforced the role communications Marines play in enabling command-and-control across the Indo-Pacific.” “At any moment, something could happen,” Cuevas said. “We need to practice how we’re going to play so when something actually happens, we can be as ready as we need to be.”