U.S. Restart Efforts To Move the Marines From Okinawa To Guam

US Restarts Efforts To Move Okinawa Marines To Guam -- Stars and Stripes

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The U.S. military restarted efforts this week to build up Guam for the planned relocation of about 5,000 Okinawa Marines, a key piece in the stalled plan to realign forces in the Pacific region and reduce tensions in Japan.

The Navy was showing Guamanians proposed locations for controversial Marine live-fire training ranges and housing during town hall-style meetings and said it will make a final decision on the laydown of the new facilities after a two- to three-year environmental study.

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My Comment: The people from Okinawa will not be sorry to see the Americans leave. But from a defense and national security standpoint .... the US Marines will now be an additional 1200 miles away from trouble spots like South Korea and Taiwan.

U.S. To Build A Super Base At Guam

US To Build £8bn Super Base On Pacific Island Of Guam -- The Telegraph

The US is building an £8 billion super military base on the Pacific island of Guam in an attempt to contain China's military build-up.

The expansion will include a dock for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, a missile defence system, live-fire training sites and the expansion of the island's airbase. It will be the largest investment in a military base in the western Pacific since the Second World War, and the biggest spend on naval infrastructure in decades.

However, Guam residents fear the build-up could hurt their ecosystem and tourism-dependent economy.

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My Comment: With Japan making their intentions known on what they want to do with the American presence on Okinawa, the logical step for the U.S. to go to (retreat to) is Guam. Hence .... the buildup.

Not Everyone Wants A U.S. MIlitary Base On Guam

On Guam, Planned Marine Base Raises Anger, Infrastructure Concerns -- Washington Post

HAGATNA, GUAM -- This remote Pacific island is home to U.S. citizens who are fervent supporters of the military, as measured by their record of fighting and dying in America's recent wars.

But they are angry about a major military buildup here, which the government of Guam and many residents say is being grossly underfunded. They fear that the construction of a new Marine Corps base will overwhelm the island's already inadequate water and sewage systems, as well as its port, power grid, hospital, highways and social services.

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My Comment: Guam is not exactly a large island. Adding a new Marine Corps base will tax its facilities .... and then some.

US Military Gearing Up On Guam

Map of Guam (Click on image to enlarge)

From Defense Industry Daily:

DID has covered a number of base improvement efforts and other contracts related to the USA’s pacific territory of Guam, including construction of an RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV complex for the Pacific Rim, and extensive base improvements/ expansion for Guam’s airfield, harbor, et. al. DID will use this post to shine a spotlight on contracts related to that territory from the beginning of FY 2007 onward. Military.com offers a broader article detailing the build up; it’s useful as a frame for activities to date, and also a a context reference for our ongoing coverage (hyperlink below added to enhance context):

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My Comment: Guam is better positioned as a base for U.S. and Japanese forces to monitor this part of the Pacific. Sailors may miss shore leave in Japan, but militarily this seems to be a better place to put U.S. military assets.