AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE,
SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands: US military activity in the Western Pacific will be stepped up after the relocation of 7,000 US Marines from Okinawa, the US regional naval commander said.
Rear Admiral Charles J. Leidig, the commander of US naval forces for the western Pacific, declined to say how many of the 7,000 marines to leave Okinawa would be moved to the US territory of Guam. Reports have indicated the bulk of the relocated forces would go to the Pacific island.
Last week the United States and Japan announced US forces in Okinawa would be reduced by 7,000 to 11,000 within six years as part of a reorganisation of the alliance between the two countries.
Leidig said Thursday that Guam and other nearby US territories, including the Northern Mariana Islands, were strategic locations in Asia Pacific region.
“You're going to see more training, whether in the sea or in the air, in the western Pacific region,” Leidig said.
“You're going to see increased military presence throughout the region. I'm working specifically on increasing the number of ships visiting the region,” he added.
By December, Leidig said the US military would release more details on the distribution of the relocated Marines.
“The announcement was that there would be 7,000 Marines relocated from Okinawa to Guam, Hawaii and other locations… I can't give you any specifics at this point. There's a whole range of options and timelines,” he said.
Guam's business community is expecting a major economic windfall from the move. It has estimated the relocation would result in about 42 million dollars in additional income tax alone for the territory's government.
“It will be a boon to Guam's economy, no doubt,” Leidig said.
