Approximately 100 U.S. Marines stationed in Okinawa, Japan, have begun their relocation to Guam, a U.S. territory. As the Japanese Ministry of Defense reported on Sunday, this marks a significant milestone in Japan’s realignment of U.S. forces. This move represents the first overseas troop relocation since the U.S. and Japan agreed on the force realignment plan in 2006.
The initial group of Marines relocating consists of 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force support personnel. The transfer is planned to be completed by 2025. Under the bilateral agreement, the U.S. and Japanese governments aim to relocate around 9,000 19,000 Marines currently stationed in Okinawa to Guam or Hawaii. However, the timeline for relocating the remaining troops remains uncertain.
Okinawa Prefecture has expressed a desire to move all U.S. Marines to Guam. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani emphasized that this relocation is just the beginning of a phased process to reduce Okinawa’s military base presence overseas.
The 2006 U.S.-Japan agreement on the realignment of U.S. forces included the overseas relocation of Okinawa-based Marines. The original plan was to complete the Guam relocation by 2014, but delays in relocating Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Henoko in Nago City stalled the process. The relocation efforts gained new momentum in July of this year during the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee (2+2) meeting, where foreign and defense ministers agreed to initiate the move within the year.
The U.S. Marine Corps plans to maintain a strategic presence in Okinawa despite the relocation. Units such as the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment will remain to ensure deterrence and rapid response capabilities against potential threats from China and North Korea.
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