File:Engineers from the Timor-Leste Defense Force construct metal frames for a new school.jpg

English: METINARO, Timor-Leste – (Oct. 10, 2013) Engineers from the Timor-Leste Defense Force (F-DTL) construct metal frames for a new school. Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3, U.S. Marine Corps engineers, Royal Australian Engineers from the Australian Defence Force and the F-DTL are participating in Sapper 13, a month-long joint exercise that’s designed to increase interoperability between the countries’ construction forces through quality projects that will improve East Timor’s social welfare. Seabees from NCMB 3 are deployed to Timor-Leste to execute engineering civic assistance projects, conduct formal training with the host nation and perform community relations events to help enhance shared capabilities and improve the country’s social welfare. One of the first battalions commissioned during World War II, NMCB 3’s legacy stands strong in its ability to build and fight anywhere in the world as either a full battalion or as a group of autonomous detachments, simultaneously completing critical engineering and construction missions. For this deployment, NMCB 3 has split into nine details to perform critical construction projects in remote island areas such as Timor-Leste, Tonga, Cambodia and the Philippines. The teams will also conduct operations in Atsugi, Yokosuka and Okinawa, Japan; Chinhae, Republic of Korea and China Lake, Calif. The Naval Construction Force is a vital component of the U.S. Maritime Strategy. They provide deployable battalions capable of providing disaster preparation and recovery support, humanitarian assistance and combat operations support. NMCB 3 provides combatant commanders and Navy component commanders with combat-ready warfighters capable of general engineering, construction and limited combat engineering across the full range of military operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Steelworker 3rd Class Calvin Johnson)