Automatic austerity measures that took effect in the U.S. at midnight Friday are likely to further delay Washington's plans to move thousands of marines from Okinawa to Guam, and to force changes to American military programs elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region.
The spending cuts could push the marines relocation plan back "two or three years, maybe more," Rep. Madeleine Bordallo of Guam said after a Wednesday meeting at the Pentagon with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo.
The budget cuts, known as sequestration, are slated to reduce discretionary spending across the federal government by as much as $1.2 trillion (¥112 trillion) over the next 10 years. U.S. defense spending will be trimmed by as much as 9 percent across the board, with consequences expected for the Guam relocation, among other military plans in the region.