History

The 30th Naval Construction Regiment (30NCR) was first established in 1944, on Saipan after the invasion of Tinian.  30NCR moved to Marianas and was known as the “Airfield Construction” Regiment of the SIXTH Naval Construction Brigade.

From November 1944 to May 1945, 30NCR kept busy with the construction of North Field, Tinian, from which B-29 bomber strikes were launched against the island of Japan.  After a successful operation that helped bring World War II to a close, 30NCR was inactivated on Tinian, Marianas in October 1945.
 
Two years later, they were reactivated in Guam, taking over the duties that had been assigned to the 5th Naval Construction Brigade. 30NCR was under the administration and operational control of Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Marianas, and assigned control of Naval Construction Battalion 103 and Construction Battalion Detachments on Peleliu, Saipan, Kwajalein, Midway, and Johnston Island.
 
In March 1952, 30NCR was transferred from Guam, Marianas to Cubi Point, Luzon.  30NCR absorbed the Philippine Naval Construction Regiment whose Commanding Officer became the Commanding Officer of 30NCR.  It operated under the military and operational control of Commander, Naval Forces, Philippines and administrative control of the Director, Pacific Division, Bureau of Yards and Docks, until 1955.  30NCR’s mission was to act as the single director of both the Naval Construction Forces (NCF) and civilian contractor forces in the construction of the U.S. Naval Air Station Cubi Point.  During the five-year project, the Regiment employed Mobile Construction Battalions 2, 3, 5, 9 and 11, Construction Detachments 1802 and 1803, and Detachment A of the 10th Brigade.
 
In 1955, the 10th Naval Construction Brigade was activated at Pearl Harbor and assumed administrative control of 30NCR.
 
On 10 May 1965, 30NCR was activated at Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam, under the Commander, Naval Construction Battalions, and U.S. Pacific Fleet.  Its principle mission was to exercise operation control over mobile construction battalions deployed to Vietnam.  It maintained liaisons with other military commands, assigned construction projects to Seabee units and monitored performance.
 
On 1 June 1966, 30NCR was assigned to report to the newly established 3rd Naval Construction Brigade in Saigon.
 
In December 1969, after having completed most Seabee construction projects in Vietnam, 30NCR was re-deployed to Okinawa and exercised command over all Seabee battalions in the Western Pacific Ocean area outside of Vietnam.  It also directed the activities of Seabee teams deployed to the Western Pacific.
 
In September 1973, the headquarters of 30NCR was moved to its birthplace of the Marianas Islands. From Guam, 30NCR directed the activities of the Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCB) that built the major air and naval base at Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, between 1971 and 1982.
 
On 15 August 1984, 30NCR was disestablished on Guam.
 
In July 1992, 30NCR was reactivated with headquarters at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  Overseas tasking in the Pacific arena included work in two main body sites of Guam and Okinawa, as well as detachment sites in Diego Garcia, Adak, Korea, Hawaii, Sasebo, Iwakuni, Yokosuka, Fuji, Atsugi, and the stateside tasking in Southern California.  In addition to the normal active duty battalion contribution, reserve battalions contributed 45,000 man-days of support construction effort into Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet Bases, U.S. Marine Corps activities and Naval Reserve Centers.
 
In 1993, 30NCR, NMCB 1, NMCB 40, and Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 1 completed tasking in Somalia during Operation Restore Hope. Primary tasking was to provide vertical construction support to U.S. and Coalition Forces, who would establish base camps at each of the humanitarian relief sites.  Repair and improvement of the main supply routes was another big part of the effort.  The largest project was at the Baldoa Airstrip, which deteriorated as C-130 relief flights increased in the early part of the operation. ACB 1 provided construction support and fuel and water offload service at the port of Mogadishu.
 
From 1994 to 2002, 30NCR operated from Pearl Harbor and maintained command and control of all NCF units deployed to the Pacific, including man, train and equip responsibility of all subordinate units.

In January 2003, 30NCR deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Iraqi Freedom (OIF).  During conflicts in support of OIF, 30NCR was Task Organized as Task Force Mike (mobility) and designated the Main Effort for all Naval Construction Forces (NCF) in theater. 30NCR supported FIRST Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) with non-standard bridging and general engineering support for its involvement in OIF, 30NCR received the Presidential Unit Citation.
 
From March 2005 to March 2006, 30NCR deployed to Iraq to support the SECOND Marine Expeditionary Force and was heavily involved in building Iraqi Security Force basing and improving quality of life and force protection throughout the country.
 
30NCR relocated to Construction Battalion Center, Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, California in July 2006 to provide closer support to wartime deploying units.
 
From March of 2007 to March of 2008, 30NCR merged with 7NCR and deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, in support of OEF. The command served under both I and II MEF as a major combat element, providing oversight to more than 2,500 engineers.
 
30NCR deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, as Commander of Task Force Forager and a major subordinate command under U.S. Forces Afghanistan and Regional Command South, from 2009 to 2010. In December 2009, the U.S. announced the deployment of an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to the region. 30NCR’s forces swelled to more than 4,500 Navy, Army and Air Force engineers, including three NMCBs, two Army Engineer Battalions, one Air Force Red Horse group and several Army and Air Force facilities engineer teams.  In support of the troop surge, they expanded the number of combat outposts and forward operating bases from eight to 24, constructed more than two million square feet of additional berthing and command and control space, 18.7 miles of aircraft matting, and six water wells.
 
The Seabees of 30NCR again deployed to Afghanistan from August 2011 to 2012 as Commander of Task Force Forager, reporting to both International Security Assistance Force Unit Joint Command and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, and leading 4,200 joint engineers. They oversaw a variety of projects including nine water wells, five check points, 10 combat outposts, nine persistent ground surveillance system sites, and the placement and emergency repairs of five bridges on critical supply routes. They also oversaw route clearance operations for theater, regional and provincial routes.
 
In March of 2013, 30NCR merged with the 31st Seabee Readiness Group (SRG) to form Naval Construction Group (NCG) 1. The combined command oversaw the readiness and operational command and control of all NCF units deployed to the Pacific.
 
In August of 2015, 30NCR embarked USNS Millinocket (JHSV 3) as Commander, Task Force Forager for Pacific Partnership 2015, and arrived in Da Nang, Vietnam, 50 years after the 30NCR was reactivated in Da Nang during the Vietnam War. 30NCR demonstrated its command and control and engineering expertise to perform humanitarian and disaster relief-oriented activities.
 
In March of 2016, 30NCR partnered with Republic of Korea (ROK) Seabees for exercise Foal Eagle. 30NCR provided command and control for numerous projects between ROK engineers and NMCB 4, NMCB 133, Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 2, and Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit (CBMU) 303, including a temporary forward operating base, wharf construction, and pier and airfield repair.
 
In 2016, NCG 1 and 30NCR separated to form independent commands to distinguish administrative and operational control responsibilities.
 
In November of 2017, the Chief of Naval Operations awarded 30NCR with the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its work throughout the Pacific from 2014 to 2016. During that timeframe, 30NCR led a Combined-Joint Civil-Military Operations Task Force executing civic construction, cooperative health engagements, subject matter expert exchanges, and humanitarian and disaster response preparation together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines on the islands of Panay and Palawan during Exercise Balikatan.
 
In July 2018, 30NCR conducted a homeport shift from Port Hueneme, California, to Naval Base Guam to provide better command and control of four deployed units. 30NCR assumed the title Commander, Task Group 75.5.
 
In October of 2018, 30NCR’s forward-deployed location became an immediate asset following the devastation wrought on the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands by Super Typhoons Mangkhut and Yutu. 30NCR coordinated with Federal Emergency Management Agency to conduct Defense Support to Civil Authorities with NMCB 1, NMCB 3, and in conjunction with the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and various civilian organizations.
 
Forward-deployed in Guam, the men and women of the 30NCR continue to uphold the “Can Do” spirit of the Seabees and its long and gallant history.  The Seabees of today continue to be the military’s engineering force of choice.