Marines issue guidelines
for
civilians' participation in activitiesBy Jan Wesner Childs, Okinawa bureau
CAMP FOSTER
— The Marine Corps has issued new guidelines on civilian visitors in the wake of the
USS Greeneville incident.
The policy
advises commanders to carefully consider the risk before they allow civilians to visit
their units.
It also
specifically forbids several activities by civilians, including firing live ammunition,
participating in live-fire maneuvers, throwing live hand grenades, and "other
activities, as determined by a commander that could cause, or reasonably be perceived as
causing, an increased safety risk."
The USS
Greeneville submarine hit and sank the Ehime Maru, a Japanese fishing boat, Feb. 9, while
civilians were on board. Japanese officials and families of the nine Japanese victims
questioned whether the presence of civilian visitors on the sub contributed to the
incident.
After the
accident, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld issued an order banning civilians from
operating military equipment. The secretary also ordered each service to review its
policies on civilian visitors.
Capt. Tanya
Murnock, spokeswoman for Marine Corps bases in Japan, said Friday that visits by civilians
are considered on a case-by-case basis.
"All
visitors to Marine facilities in Japan receive appropriate safety briefs for the
activities in which they will participate or observe, and are provided appropriate safety
equipment — for example, hearing protection or helmets — to ensure a safe and
successful visit," Murnock said.
Thousands
of civilians visit military bases here each year. Those visits range from open friendship
festivals that feature static displays, to VIP tours that give visitors an up-close view
of helicopters and airplanes.
Murnock
said about 100 civilian guests took flights on Marine Corps aircraft in Japan over the
past year. No civilians fired live weapons, but visitors to an artillery range in Oita
Prefecture were allowed to pull the lanyards on 155 mm howitzers earlier this year.
Last month,
the Air Force issued a moratorium on permitting civilian visitors to operate any item of
military equipment when such operation could cause, or reasonably be perceived as causing,
an increased safety risk.
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