Spalling concrete is seen on balconies at housing tower 1087 on Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Aug. 20, 2025. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP KINSER, Okinawa — None of the families living in 65 homes with balconies deemed at high risk for concrete spalling will be required to move, the Kadena Air Base housing office announced at a town hall meeting Tuesday evening.
The spalling is “a non-structural issue,” Air Force Lt. Col. Aki Nervik, commander of the 718th Civil Engineer Squadron at Kadena Air Base, told approximately 50 tower residents during the meeting at Surfside Club.
High risk involves any cracking or major deflection seen in the concrete, he said.
“The only hazard is those chunks of concrete falling off from a high elevation and bonking somebody on the head who happens to be walking below,” he said. “Which is why we have all the cordoned areas in the appropriate fall zone.”
Spalled concrete was found July 29 outside tower 1088, according to an unsigned email from Kadena’s 18th Wing, whose civil engineers maintain the housing towers on Kinser, a Marine Corps base. Inspections were conducted through Saturday at 544 homes in six occupied towers and two unoccupied towers, Nervik said.
The 263 occupied units are in towers 1086, 1087, 1088, 867, 871 and 872 on Kinser’s north side.
Tensions flared occasionally during the 90-minute meeting, with residents taking issue with a lack of communication from the housing office. Another resident complained that the housing office did not answer questions.
Nervik apologized and said his office didn’t have enough information about the issue to present to residents before Aug. 14.
Gunnery Sgt. John Beaver, 39, of Marine Air Control Squadron 4, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, said his home in tower 872 is at low risk for spalling, but his family has been moved twice in the past 1½ years from other Kinser towers due to safety issues.
“I feel there’s a lack of empathy on behalf of the housing office,” he told Stars and Stripes after the meeting. “Right now, we have one way in and out of my tower and it’s a narrow pathway about maybe three feet wide.”
Spalling concrete is seen at housing tower 1087 on Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Aug. 20, 2025. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
Families in the high-risk units have the option to move cost-free, Nervik said. The housing office will work to keep families on Kinser if they want to stay there, but Nervik also said options were “limited.”
He recommended families in high-risk units not use their balconies until further notice.
Another 99 units are at moderate risk for spalling, according to a slideshow presentation at the meeting. These units have “very little or no deflection” and are not a concern, Nervik said.
Spalling could be seen on the underside of balconies at towers 1087 and 1088 on Wednesday. Orange plastic net fencing surrounded each occupied tower except for pathways to one main entrance and emergency side exits.
Nervik, responding to a resident’s questions, said he had no repair timeline, but his office is looking into a short-term solution.
The squadron solicited contracting bids for scaffolding to replace the fencing to allow easier access, Nervik said. That could take up to 60 days to be installed, housing maintenance chief Eric McClay said during the meeting.
Spalling concrete was also an issue in two family housing neighborhoods at Kadena earlier this year.
Nervik declined to answer questions from Stars and Stripes after the meeting, referring inquiries to the 18th Wing.
“Engineers who have reviewed the design of the balconies have concluded that there is no compromise to the structural integrity of balconies or the units,” the wing wrote in an unsigned email Wednesday. “Our current focus is on ensuring resident safety, finishing inspections, and analyzing data. The health and safety of our residents is our primary concern, and we are prioritizing safety as the next steps are decided.”
Stars and Stripes reporter Ryan M. Breeden contributed to this report.
