Camp Foster

Camp Foster at a glance

Camp Foster is a Marine Corps installation community on Okinawa and the headquarters location of Marine Corps Installations Pacific. Its public role is tied to the delivery and oversight of installation services supporting forward-based forces. Foster also belongs to Marine Corps Base Smedley D. Butler, a command encompassing several separate camps and training areas on the island.

The wider Butler network supports operating organizations through facilities, logistics and community services. Official Marine Corps planning documents describe this installation work as similar in scope to the functions of a municipal government, allowing military units to focus on their own missions. Foster should therefore be researched as an installation support and headquarters community, while recognizing that other Okinawa camps contain different operational headquarters and workplaces.

Also searched as: Foster, MCIPAC headquarters, Camp Smedley D. Butler.

Sources: III MEF public installation booklet; Marine Corps Installations Pacific 2025 strategic vision

Mission and major activities

• Hosts Marine Corps Installations Pacific headquarters.
• Provides installation and community support within the MCB Butler network.

Sources: III MEF public installation booklet; Marine Corps Installations Pacific 2025 strategic vision

Location and community

Camp Foster is on Okinawa, Japan, and is one of several distinct facilities associated with MCB Butler.

Sources: Marine Corps Installations Pacific 2025 strategic vision

Foster is a newcomer hub for the wider Okinawa community

Camp Foster’s Community Center hosts the Marine Corps Community Services Newcomers’ Orientation Welcome Aboard program. This makes Foster an arrival destination for people whose eventual workplace may be elsewhere on Okinawa. The program distinguishes accompanied arrivals, senior unaccompanied personnel and junior unaccompanied personnel directed through the Joint Reception Center process. Questions to confirm: which arrival category applies, who has registered the household, and what transport is arranged to the session? Check the current organizer’s instructions directly; the different categories should not be combined into one universal newcomer checklist.

Official sources: Camp Foster MCCS guide; Newcomers’ Orientation Welcome Aboard

Orientation and recurring child care are separate reservations

MCCS describes limited, advance-registered child care at Foster’s Chimugukuru Child Development Center for eligible NOWA attendees. Registration and a confirmed reservation are required, and the published arrangement is space-available rather than guaranteed. Questions to confirm: has each child been registered with Resource and Referral, is an orientation-day place confirmed, and what alternative arrangement is available if it is not? Keep that short-term request separate from the family’s recurring child-care search. Completing an orientation reservation does not establish a continuing place at the center or care that matches the member’s normal duty schedule.

Official sources: Newcomers’ Orientation Welcome Aboard

Foster has two named child development centers

The MCCS Family Care Branch identifies Ashibina and Chimugukuru as Camp Foster’s child development centers. Its wider Okinawa network also includes centers at Kinser and Courtney and certified Family Child Care providers. The relevant question is the child’s approved care arrangement, not merely the number of centers on an installation map. Questions to confirm: which age group is needed at the arrival date, what request and registration steps apply, and how would a place at another camp affect travel? Confirm availability with the responsible program before building a work or school routine around a preferred center.

Official sources: MCCS Family Care Branch

Relocation support is organized across several camps

MCCS’s referral and relocation directory lists sponsorship training, newcomer orientation and Smooth Move workshops at locations across Okinawa, including Foster, Courtney, Hansen, Kinser and Futenma. Foster therefore serves as part of a broader support network rather than the only place to resolve every relocation question. Questions to confirm: which office is closest to the household or gaining unit, what workshop fits the stage of the move, and can a sponsor collect required registration information in advance? Use the live directory for dates and locations; event listings should be checked again when the itinerary becomes final.

Official sources: MCCS information, referral and relocation

Published addresses and access

Use the destination label below to distinguish visitor access, a service office and postal mail. A published address does not authorize entry. Confirm current access, sponsorship, appointments and reporting instructions with the official office before travelling.

Before you arrive

Use these questions with your sponsor or gaining organization. They are a starting point for planning, including assignments, courses and training periods that differ from a routine permanent change of station.

1. Confirm the organization, duration and reporting instructions shown on your orders. Ask which office handles your arrival.
2. Clarify lodging and housing arrangements before booking. Ask about availability, required approvals and how to handle a late arrival.
3. For an overseas assignment, ask your sponsor about family travel authorization, required documents, medical screening, pets and vehicle shipment before making reservations.
4. Coordinate household goods and personal travel with the appropriate transportation office. Keep orders, receipts and important family records together.
5. Make a short list of contacts for medical care, schools, childcare and family support, where applicable to your assignment.

Official overseas moving resources   Housing allowance information

Sources: Marine Corps Installations Pacific 2025 strategic vision

Resources for service members and families

Start with the official resources for Camp Foster and ask which services your household can use. For a training site, rotational location or Reserve component assignment, confirm arrangements with your unit rather than assuming the services of a large residential installation are available.

From this mission to your next career

The mission at Camp Foster suggests the following areas to consider when describing your experience. These are LockLeed career suggestions based on the public mission, not a list of vacancies or qualifications held by everyone assigned here.

Write down the equipment, systems, processes and teams you personally supported. Add a specific result you can discuss publicly, then match that evidence to the civilian role you want. Keep operational details and sensitive information out of your application.

Official transition resources   Explore SkillBridge programs

Official contacts and installation services

Use the named official resource for this installation or its support community. A directory link does not establish service eligibility, availability or a reporting location. Confirm arrangements with the office or your gaining organization.

Research note: Official MCCS content reviewed through indexed pages. MCCS pages differ on the family-member age threshold for NOWA; this guide deliberately directs families to confirm current attendance requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and editorial notes

Installation facts above are drawn from the official sources below. Career suggestions and planning questions are LockLeed editorial guidance. Use official offices for current policies, eligibility and arrangements.

1. III MEF public installation bookletSupports: overview, mission
2. Marine Corps Installations Pacific 2025 strategic visionSupports: overview, mission, local context, planning note
3. Camp Foster MCCS guideSupports: expanded guide and official services
4. Newcomers’ Orientation Welcome AboardSupports: expanded guide and official services
5. MCCS Family Care BranchSupports: expanded guide and official services
6. MCCS information, referral and relocationSupports: expanded guide and official services

Reviewed 2026-09-30. This independent guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense. Map points are approximate and are not routing or reporting instructions.