Marine Corps Commandant Says Moving Marines from Okinawa to Guam ‘Puts Us on the Wrong Path’
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith says a plan to move 4,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam will take those troops away from where they are needed.
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith warned Wednesday that the ongoing move of Marines from Okinawa to Guam will take those troops away from where they are needed most.
“Frankly, we are taking Guam on the wrong path,” Smith told reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast in Washington, D.C. “Guam puts us on the other side of the international date line, but it keeps us out of the crisis zone, out of the priority zone.”
There are currently about 19,000 Marines stationed in Okinawa. In 2012, the U.S. and Japan agreed to relocate about 9,000 Marines from Okinawa to other parts of the Pacific, including Guam and Hawaii. About 4,000 Marines are expected to be stationed on Guam, with Camp Blythe serving as their primary base.
Smith told reporters Wednesday that while the Marine Corps has pledged to reduce its presence on Okinawa to about 10,000 troops, the move to Guam remains a “challenge.”
For example, the military also plans to send troops to Guam, which will limit the space available to the Marines, Smith said. Abra Harbor, where aircraft carriers and other Navy ships can dock, is also undergoing infrastructure upgrades. In April 2023, a $106.9 million contract was approved for the construction of a maritime embarkation and disembarkation facility.
“So to be honest, I’m not sure it’s in the strategic interest of the United States,” Smith told reporters Wednesday. “But it’s a treaty obligation between us and Japan, and unless circumstances change, we will abide by that treaty obligation.”
In December, about 100 Marines from the III Marine Expeditionary Force began moving from Okinawa to Guam.
The Marine Corps supports Japan’s 2012 agreement with the United States and plans to send troops to Guam or Hawaii, a Marine Corps spokesperson told Task & Purpose on Wednesday.
“The Marine Corps will continue to explore options for the best future location in the region,” they said. “The restructuring of the Marine Corps in Japan is the result of nearly two decades of bilateral political negotiations and is reflected in multiple international agreements and arrangements. “This ruling is in implementation of an international agreement reached with the [Japanese government]. ”
Okinawa is part of the “First Island Chain,” a chain of Pacific islands that includes Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia, and would be a front line in the event of a war with China. U.S. military leaders have speculated that China could try to invade Taiwan as early as 2027. Although the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act is silent on how the United States would respond to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, President Biden has repeatedly pledged to defend Taiwan. Nation
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, testified at his confirmation ceremony on Tuesday that the new administration would make containing China a top priority.
“We first want to make sure that the administration understands that (the Chinese Communist Party) is a top priority when it comes to threats abroad, and obviously defending our homeland as well,” Hegseth said.
Smith said China’s aggressive posture to control waters managed by other countries in the Western Pacific and the U.S. Department of Defense’s focus on the Indo-Pacific region provide a reason to consider revising the agreement to move Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
“This is clearly an internal matter for the Japanese government,” Smith said. “But I do know that every time you take a step toward China, they take a step back. The only thing they understand is one thing: credible deterrence. “And that credible deterrence has to exist to win, and for me, that’s in the island chain.” The first one.
Marine Corps Commandant Says Moving Marines from Okinawa to Guam ‘Puts Us on the Wrong Path’
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith says a plan to move 4,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam will take those troops away from where they are needed.
Marines train on Guam. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Amaya Unanue.
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Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith warned Wednesday that the ongoing move of Marines from Okinawa to Guam will take those troops away from where they are needed most.
“Frankly, we are taking Guam on the wrong path,” Smith told reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast in Washington, D.C. “Guam puts us on the other side of the international date line, but it keeps us out of the crisis zone, out of the priority zone.”
There are currently about 19,000 Marines stationed in Okinawa. In 2012, the U.S. and Japan agreed to relocate about 9,000 Marines from Okinawa to other parts of the Pacific, including Guam and Hawaii. About 4,000 Marines are expected to be stationed on Guam, with Camp Blythe serving as their primary base.
Smith told reporters Wednesday that while the Marine Corps has pledged to reduce its presence on Okinawa to about 10,000 troops, the move to Guam remains a “challenge.”
For example, the military also plans to send troops to Guam, which will limit the space available to the Marines, Smith said. Abra Harbor, where aircraft carriers and other Navy ships can dock, is also undergoing infrastructure upgrades. In April 2023, a $106.9 million contract was approved for the construction of a maritime embarkation and disembarkation facility.
“So to be honest, I’m not sure it’s in the strategic interest of the United States,” Smith told reporters Wednesday. “But it’s a treaty obligation between us and Japan, and unless circumstances change, we will abide by that treaty obligation.”
In December, about 100 Marines from the III Marine Expeditionary Force began moving from Okinawa to Guam.
The Marine Corps supports Japan’s 2012 agreement with the United States and plans to send troops to Guam or Hawaii, a Marine Corps spokesperson told Task & Purpose on Wednesday.
“The Marine Corps will continue to explore options for the best future location in the region,” they said. “The restructuring of the Marine Corps in Japan is the result of nearly two decades of bilateral political negotiations and is reflected in multiple international agreements and arrangements. “This ruling is in implementation of an international agreement reached with the [Japanese government]. ”
Okinawa is part of the “First Island Chain,” a chain of Pacific islands that includes Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia, and would be a front line in the event of a war with China. U.S. military leaders have speculated that China could try to invade Taiwan as early as 2027. Although the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act is silent on how the United States would respond to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, President Biden has repeatedly pledged to defend Taiwan. Nation
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, testified at his confirmation ceremony on Tuesday that the new administration would make containing China a top priority.
“We first want to make sure that the administration understands that (the Chinese Communist Party) is a top priority when it comes to threats abroad, and obviously defending our homeland as well,” Hegseth said.
Smith said China’s aggressive posture to control waters managed by other countries in the Western Pacific and the U.S. Department of Defense’s focus on the Indo-Pacific region provide a reason to consider revising the agreement to move Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
“This is clearly an internal matter for the Japanese government,” Smith said. “But I do know that every time you take a step toward China, they take a step back. The only thing they understand is one thing: credible deterrence. “And that credible deterrence has to exist to win, and for me, that’s in the island chain.” The first one.
