U.S. Defense Secretary-designate Chuck Hagel pledged Thursday to make efforts to ease the burden on Okinawa from hosting the bulk of U.S. military bases in Japan, while promoting President Barack Obama's goal of rebalancing the U.S. military toward the Asia-Pacific region.
In a written statement submitted to a hearing of the Senate Arms Services Committee, Hagel, a 66-year-old moderate Republican, also said Washington will work with its allies to deter North Korea's provocations.
On the Asia-Pacific region, Hagel said in the written testimony, "If confirmed, I would support the administration's effort to work toward a posture that is more geographically distributed, for example the movement of forces to Guam and Australia."