About 9,000 U.S. Marines stationed on the
Japanese island of Okinawa will be moved to the U.S. territory of Guam
and other locations in the Asia-Pacific, including Hawaii, under a
U.S.-Japan agreement announced Thursday.
The move is part of a broader arrangement designed to tamp down tensions
in the U.S.-Japan defense alliance stemming in part from opposition in
Okinawa to what many view as a burdensome U.S. military presence.
It also reflects a desire by the Obama administration to spread U.S.
forces more widely in the Asia-Pacific region as part of a rebalancing
of U.S. defense priorities in the aftermath of a decade of war in the
greater Middle East.
The agreement was outlined in a joint statement issued Thursday night by
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta and their Japanese counterparts.
Citing an "increasingly uncertain security environment" in the
Asia-Pacific region, they said their agreement was intended to maintain a
robust U.S. military presence to ensure the defense of Japan.
"Japan is not just a close ally, but also a close friend," Panetta said
in a separate comment. "And I look forward to deepening that friendship
and strengthening our partnership as, together, we address security
challenges in the region."
The joint statement made no mention of a timetable for moving the
approximately 9,000 Marines off of Okinawa. It said it would happen
"when appropriate facilities are available to receive them" on Guam and
elsewhere.
Under the new agreement, about 10,000 Marines will remain on Okinawa,
which has been a key element of the U.S. military presence in Asia for
decades. The U.S. also has a substantial Air Force presence on Okinawa.
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