The chief of U.S. forces at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa says the base is "very important" for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region for the next 25 to 50 years.
"Kadena is a very strategic key location to do that," Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Remington said in a recent interview with Kyodo News. He added that a U.S. Air Force presence in East Asia "is in everybody's interest," particularly Japan's.
About 7,000 U.S. Air Force and Navy personnel are stationed in Kadena. Among the aircraft there are 48 F-15 fighters and 15 KC-135 refueling airplanes.
On the deployment of 3,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Iraq beginning this month, Remington said the United States will dispatch B-52 bombers to Guam to send a signal to the whole region that the U.S. has increased its capabilities to prepare for the Marines' departure.
Asked if more aircraft will be sent to Kadena, Remington said, "Right now, as far as I know, there aren't any F-15s or fighters or anything more like that coming to Kadena, but that doesn't mean it might not change the next day.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we do have some aircraft come through here on a temporary basis."
Remington also cited the need to consider building new infrastructure at the base, such as partially underground command control facilities, if there is a threat from weapons of mass destruction.
Okinawa accounts for only 0.6 percent of Japanese territory but is home to 75 percent of the land occupied by U.S. forces in Japan.
Many residents feel antipathy toward the U.S. forces due to highly publicized crimes involving military personnel.
