An entrance to a warehouse on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, is lined with sandbags in preparation for Tropical Storm Mekkhala, June 25, 2026. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — U.S. military bases on Okinawa were bracing Thursday for Tropical Storm Mekkhala, the second storm to target the island in a month.
U.S. installations at 7 a.m. entered Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness 2, meaning destructive winds of 58 mph or greater are anticipated within 24 hours.
Mekkhala was downgraded from a typhoon at 6 a.m. Thursday by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The center forecasts Mekkhala to pass 42 miles west-northwest of Kadena Air Base around 5 a.m. Friday with 60 mph sustained winds and 75 mph gusts at its center.
Marine Corps Installations Pacific, which oversees all Marine Corps bases on Okinawa, was battening down the hatches ahead of the storm.
“Marine Corps Installations Pacific is closely monitoring Tropical Storm Mekkhala and continues to secure facilities and equipment, inform our personnel of the severe weather, and adjust operations as necessary,” spokesman Wes Hayes said by email Thursday.
He added that personnel should prepare now for the storm and monitor official information sources.
The storm arrives in the middle of the annual Resolute Dragon bilateral exercise between the Marine Corps and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, scheduled to run through Tuesday at various locations throughout Japan, including Okinawa.
Japanese V-22 Ospreys were set to fly from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma for the first time during the drills.
Japan canceled its tiltrotor flights scheduled Thursday from MCAS Futenma to Miyako and Ishigaki islands “after comprehensively assessing the situation – including the impact of the typhoon,” a Ground Staff spokesman said by phone that day. Decisions are still being made regarding planned Osprey flights Friday through Monday, he added.
“We will determine the course of action tomorrow after considering the weather and other factors,” he said.
Some Japanese government officials may speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.
No U.S. Navy ships or assets had been relocated from Okinawa as of Thursday afternoon, Expeditionary Strike Group 7 spokesman Lt. Mohammad Issa wrote in an email that day.
“The safety of our Sailors, civilian personnel, their families, and our ships and aircraft is our top priority,” he said. “We are working closely with installation leadership, who are taking all necessary precautions to secure shore facilities and support our families on base.”
The 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base “implements established typhoon preparedness measures to protect our people, aircraft, equipment, and facilities while maintaining mission readiness,” the wing said in an unsigned email Thursday. It declined to provide specifics, citing operational security.
“The safety of our personnel, families, and Okinawa communities remains our top priority,” it states.
The storm arrives less than four weeks after Typhoon Jangmi passed over the island on June 1 with wind gusts as high as 80 mph at MCAS Futenma.
U.S. bases reported minimal damage from that storm, although power outages affected a wide swath of family housing units at Camp Courtney for longer than 24 hours.
Jangmi was the first major storm to hit the island in three years. In July and August 2023, Typhoon Khanun passed by Okinawa as a Category 4-equivalent storm, then doubled back and passed again as a Category 1. The storm injured 42 people and caused widespread power outages and damage.
Stars and Stripes reporter Keishi Koja contributed to this report.
