Connect the dots to make a line and cast light upon the true nature of everything.
As arguments favoring restrictive deployment of troops waver after rapid progresses in military technology, the recent movement of American troops in the Asia-Pacific region takes on the distinct shape of a harbinger of growing change, even on the issue of the Okinawan bases.
During his first visit to Australia, President Barack Obama relayed his plan to station about 200 to 250 U.S. Marines in the north. There has been no real military presence in Australia until now.
The goal is to restrain China’s military buildup, which has generated friction through territorial disputes with neighboring countries over the South China Sea.
Australia is preparing itself through training in jungle warfare, among other areas. Both America and Australia are planning to expand the number of stationed troops to 2500 in the future, but depending on the state of military affairs, it could possibly increase by even more.
The range of Chinese military missiles is increasing, and cruise missiles will be set to target American aircraft carriers. The U.S. Armed Forces have realized that the Okinawan and Guam bases, which fall in range of those missiles, will be vulnerable, creating a problem.
In order to deal with this development, a concept called AirSea Battle, which scatters deployment of military force and disperses American bases outside of Chinese missile range, has been created. Stationing troops in Australia is no doubt a part of this much larger plan.
Even with the dispersion of military strength, however, there should be some concrete movement towards verifying that American armed forces will not be hindered.
The U.S. Marine Corps has placed three expeditionary forces on both the east and west coasts of their own country, but outside the U.S., the only base that has been developed is at Okinawa. You could say that that’s an indication that the center of American military forces in the Asia-Pacific region, which has persisted in sending large-scale garrisons to Okinawa and raising its geographic predominance, is now in the process of diverting its attention to surrounding and watching China from a distance.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton mentioned in an article that achieving the ideal Asian diplomacy “require[s] that the United States pursue a more geographically distributed, operationally resilient and politically sustainable force posture.”
An American researcher well-informed on the relationship between the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty and Okinawa questions the transfer of U.S. Marines in Okinawa to the American west coast as an example of the “Theory of Backward Expansion.”
There are discussions and reviews that are checking records related to the AirSea Battle concept, and despite Okinawa’s firm opposition to the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within the prefecture, the circumstances there are the exact opposite of a “sustainable” situation if you take the perspective that the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty is trying to achieve mid-range stability.
Hasn’t the role of the Marines in Okinawa in both military and political affairs already ended?
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