thedrifter
03-21-08, 11:39 AM
Marines were OK merging Futenma, Kadena: document
Kyodo News Service
Posted : Thursday Mar 20, 2008 8:01:05 EDT
TOKYO — The Marine Corps responded positively to a 1996 Japanese proposal to integrate the Marines’ Futenma Air Station into the Air Force’s Kadena Air Base before the Air Force opposed it, according to a U.S. document declassified Thursday.
The Marines called the proposal feasible, but U.S. Forces Japan as a whole did not endorse it after the Air Force opposed it, saying such integration would hamper its operational activities in the event of a contingency, according to the document compiled by U.S. Forces Japan.
In the document, a copy of which was obtained by Kyodo News, the Marine Corps argued that the integration of Futenma’s helicopter functions with Kadena is possible and that problems can be solved through a review of troop deployment at Kadena, expansion of aircraft parking space at Kadena, and use of Naha airport in times of emergency.
The Air Force, meanwhile, argued that such integration would hamper its operational activities in the event of a contingency and sharply reduce its mission potential, according to the document.
The document says that in conclusion, overall U.S. Forces Japan would not recommend an integration of Futenma with Kadena, citing political effects from a boost in force strength at Kadena and a decline in operational capabilities in emergencies.
The declassified document, dated July 26, 1996, makes a technical analysis of the impacts on U.S. forces’ operations from Futenma’s integration with Kadena. It rules out making any changes to force strength at Kadena.
The document discusses the feasibility of the plan, mentioning the use of Naha airport, an airfield in Okinawa used by civilian airlines and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, and a relocation of U.S. military planes at Kadena base to SDF bases in Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu, as a congestion-reduction measure at Kadena in the event of a contingency.
It also refers to a possible relocation of U.S. forces’ functions from Okinawa to Japan’s main islands.
As a substantial step, the document mentions relocation of P-3C anti-submarine patrol planes to a Japanese SDF base in southern Kyushu, which military experts say is the Kanoya base of the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The document takes up, as options, the use of SDF bases on Japan’s main island in contingencies and the construction of a military-civilian airfield near the Marines’ Camp Schwab in Nago. There are no technical difficulties in realizing such options, it says.
In December 1996, Japan and the U.S. agreed to relocate the helicopter functions of Futenma base to a floating facility off the east coast of Okinawa’s main island. This was stated in a final report filed by a bilateral forum, called the Special Action Committee on Okinawa.
However, the floating facility plan failed. And in May 2006, Japan and the U.S. reached a fresh agreement to build an airfield with two runways in a V-shaped formation on part of Camp Schwab and a new offshore landfill area by 2014 to replace Futenma base, which is located in a densely populated area of Ginowan.
Ellie
Kyodo News Service
Posted : Thursday Mar 20, 2008 8:01:05 EDT
TOKYO — The Marine Corps responded positively to a 1996 Japanese proposal to integrate the Marines’ Futenma Air Station into the Air Force’s Kadena Air Base before the Air Force opposed it, according to a U.S. document declassified Thursday.
The Marines called the proposal feasible, but U.S. Forces Japan as a whole did not endorse it after the Air Force opposed it, saying such integration would hamper its operational activities in the event of a contingency, according to the document compiled by U.S. Forces Japan.
In the document, a copy of which was obtained by Kyodo News, the Marine Corps argued that the integration of Futenma’s helicopter functions with Kadena is possible and that problems can be solved through a review of troop deployment at Kadena, expansion of aircraft parking space at Kadena, and use of Naha airport in times of emergency.
The Air Force, meanwhile, argued that such integration would hamper its operational activities in the event of a contingency and sharply reduce its mission potential, according to the document.
The document says that in conclusion, overall U.S. Forces Japan would not recommend an integration of Futenma with Kadena, citing political effects from a boost in force strength at Kadena and a decline in operational capabilities in emergencies.
The declassified document, dated July 26, 1996, makes a technical analysis of the impacts on U.S. forces’ operations from Futenma’s integration with Kadena. It rules out making any changes to force strength at Kadena.
The document discusses the feasibility of the plan, mentioning the use of Naha airport, an airfield in Okinawa used by civilian airlines and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, and a relocation of U.S. military planes at Kadena base to SDF bases in Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu, as a congestion-reduction measure at Kadena in the event of a contingency.
It also refers to a possible relocation of U.S. forces’ functions from Okinawa to Japan’s main islands.
As a substantial step, the document mentions relocation of P-3C anti-submarine patrol planes to a Japanese SDF base in southern Kyushu, which military experts say is the Kanoya base of the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The document takes up, as options, the use of SDF bases on Japan’s main island in contingencies and the construction of a military-civilian airfield near the Marines’ Camp Schwab in Nago. There are no technical difficulties in realizing such options, it says.
In December 1996, Japan and the U.S. agreed to relocate the helicopter functions of Futenma base to a floating facility off the east coast of Okinawa’s main island. This was stated in a final report filed by a bilateral forum, called the Special Action Committee on Okinawa.
However, the floating facility plan failed. And in May 2006, Japan and the U.S. reached a fresh agreement to build an airfield with two runways in a V-shaped formation on part of Camp Schwab and a new offshore landfill area by 2014 to replace Futenma base, which is located in a densely populated area of Ginowan.
Ellie