Guam-based 13th air force command to be integrated into USAF Yokota

The U.S. Bush administration reportedly plans to integrate the 13th Air Force Command in Guam into the 5th Air Force Command based at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in Tokyo as part of its plan to reorganize U.S. military forces deployed abroad.

Akahata of July 16 reported that the plan is to be discussed by Japanese and U.S. senior defense and foreign affairs officials at the talks that began on July 15 in San Francisco.

The U.S. 13th Air Force, based at Andersen Air Base in Guam, commands operations in the south and west Pacific and the Indian Ocean, and is used as a stepping stone for action in the Middle East and as a key base for long-range bombers and tanker planes to make preparations for operations in the Middle East.

If this integration plan is implemented, the new U.S. Air Force command at Yokota will cover regions ranging from the Western Pacific to the Indian Ocean and Africa's east coast, Akahata reported.

The U.S. and Japanese governments are also planning to relocate the Air Self-Defense Force's Air Defense Command that controls and commands all ASDF fighter units to Yokota, furthering the military integration of Japanese and U.S. forces, said Akahata.

In parallel with these moves, the following transformation plans are being considered concerning the U.S. Forces in Japan: redeploying the U.S. Army 1st Corps based in Washington state, a rapid deployment force covering the Asia-Pacific area, to the U.S. Army Camp Zama in Kanagawa Prefecture as well as reportedly part of the Okinawa-based Marine Corps to Camp Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture, Camp Zama, or the Ground SDF Yausubetsu Training Field in Hokkaido.

The U.S. 7th Fleet which covers the Western Pacific, the Indian Ocean, and the Eastern Coast of Africa is based at the U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base. The 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force is stationed in Okinawa. If the transformation plan is enacted, it will significantly increase the capability of the U.S. forces to launch military operations on a global scale, with Japan acting as a key hub, Akahata warned. (end)