Posted on 06/01/2010 11:04:22 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The United States and Japan agreed yesterday to relocate a controversial U.S. air base to a less densely populated area on the Japanese island of Okinawa.
The future of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma had been a subject of intense political debate in Japan that led to the possibility of the base being moved off the island entirely, despite a 2006 agreement to relocate it on Okinawa.
Talks between Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for the United States and Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa for Japan addressed a range of security concerns and yielded substantial agreement, officials said.
For years, Okinawans have said they carry the majority of the burden of hosting American forces in Japan, and the agreement vows to reduce the impact on local communities, including in Okinawa, thereby preserving a sustainable U.S. military presence in Japan, according to a joint statement issued by the security and consultative committee.
The [committee] members expressed their shared commitments to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and return the base to Japan as part of the alliance transformation and realignment process, the statement said.
Other realignment initiatives -- including the relocation of about 8,000 Marines and 9,000 family members from Okinawa to Guam -- depend on completion of the Futenma replacement facility. The relocation to Guam will return of most of the U.S. facilities south of Kadena Air Base to Japan.
Bearing this in mind, the two sides intend to verify and validate that this Futenma relocation plan appropriately considers factors such as safety, operational requirements, noise impact, environmental concerns and effects on the local community, according to the statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at defencetalk.com ...
The curious thing is that no one is sure that Guam can handle more people... particularly in terms of fresh water. The governor of the island has been wanting major US gov’t infrastructure projects started...to ensure this growth would be successful.
Is there no part of the world that isn’t impacted negatively by this imbeecile in the White House?
We have congress ppl worried that Guam would tip over if that many troops were brought in..Rep Hank Johnson was concerned about this..
Heck, if I remember right Guam is gonna capsize, ain’t it?
/S
They can rot, bring our boys home and let them defend themselves. Our money can be spend better here than there.
Okinawa is an island. it’s actually attached to the sea floor.
Guam is a dirt marsmallow that floats.
It is important that the Honorable Rep. Johnson understands this.
It’s seems to me they are going to enforce the agreement that was made while W was in office.
What?? Aren’t they afraid by moving it it would flip the island over? I heard a “congressman” (so called) express concern about this, so it must be a real risk.
to reduce the impact on local communities, including in Okinawa, thereby preserving a sustainable U.S. military presence in Japan,
I would tell the locals to go jump off a cliff. But...
What to do. If we move more troops to Guam the entire island might just tip over.
/s/
What hope is there for the free world with this bunch of devils in charge of US policy. The ‘intelligent’ diplomacy is working so well, world wide.
BRING BACK THE COWBOY
Barak Hussein Obama al-Chicago can come up with another trillion $ borrowed from China to double the size of Okinawa so no Japanese citizen has to live within sight or sound distance from the base.
Do you want Guam to tip over and sink??
Every base I have been at has scads of people right out side just begging to strip the soldiers/airmen of their paycheck for sundry causes. And most soldiers gladly participate. Send the money to Guam at least they are American citizens
If Obama where true to his rhetoric he would be falling over himself to appease the Japanese and pull the base out after carefully listening to their gripes.
But doing so would cause his own boat to take on water so he just in effect flips Japan the middle digit.
A Republican may well keep the base there also, but more likely on sound military regional strategy. So the decision reached would be kept on mutual respect.
But with Obama, it is clearly only depended on his political stability and to Hell with the Japanese.
Thus, the resignation. It is actually humiliating.
BTW, W is afraid of horses.
He wasn’t the terrorists best friend.
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