US-Japan Future Defense Planing

Some interesting recommendations from a Heritage Foundation report on the US-Japan alliance:

Achievements in U.S.–Japan Alliance Transformation

• Greater interoperability
  
• Forward deploy I Corps headquarters from Ft. Lewis to collocate with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Central Readiness Force headquarters at Camp Zama in 2012.
  
• Establish a Bilateral Air Operations Coordination Center established at Yokota Air Force Base with integrated air and missile defense.
  
• Realignment and consolidation of U.S. forces
  
• Relocate Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma to a new facility at Camp Schwab.
  
• Redeploy 8,000 U.S. Marines of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force from Okinawa to Guam. Japan to pay $6.1 billion or 75 percent of the cost.
  
• Relocate elements of Carrier Air Wing 5 from Naval Air Station Atsugi to MCAS Iwakuni.
  
• Expanded role for Japan Self-Defense Force
  
• Elevate the Japan Defense Agency to cabinet-level Ministry of Defense.
  
• Participate in international peacekeeping operations and disaster relief operations.
  
• Enhanced cooperation on ballistic missile defense
  
• U.S.-built X-band radar system at Japanese Air Self-Defense Force's (JASDF) Shariki air base, which shares data with the Japanese.
  
• Expedite deployment of U.S. Patriot PAC-3 units at Kadena, Okinawa.
  
• Provide Standard Missile (SM-3) capabilities to U.S. forward-deployed naval forces.
  
• Accelerate modification of Japanese Aegis ships with SM-3 capabilities.
  
• Japanese Aegis-equipped destroyer intercepted a medium-range target missile near Hawaii.
  

By: Brant