Posted on 09/14/2009 2:13:53 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
The Obama administration has proposed the possible pull out of all 40 F-16s from Misawa AB to the government of Japan. The discussion are supposed to have taken place back in April and have only now been released.
The move could possibly start at the end of the year with the agreement of the new incoming administration of Democratic Party of Japanese leader Yukio Hatoyama.
As part of the same strategic review plan the US has also told Japan that they may also remove 50 or so F-15s from its base in Kadena, Okinawa.
Both proposals are pending as the Japanese government are still concerned about the situations in North Korea. Japanese officials say the moves could send the wrong message to North Korea and China at a time when Pyongyang has conducted missile and nuclear tests and Beijing is rapidly modernizing its military.
The proposed withdrawal of the F-16s and the cut in F-15s at Kadena would be welcomed by local communities because it would help to reduce the burden of hosting U.S. bases by cutting aircraft noise and the chance of accidents.
The F-16s were deployed at the Misawa base during the Cold War in the 1980s, and some defence experts believe the planes could be used for a so-called surgical attack against North Korea now that the Cold War is over.
A Japanese government source said the next-generation F-35 fighters could be flown from Guam and stationed at Misawa on a rotational basis if the F-16s are pulled out.
Full production of F-35s has not yet started, and deployment of the jets is unlikely to take place for at least five years. This could mean there is a period where there are no U.S. fighter planes regularly stationed at Misawa Air Base.
F-16 Ping
Ping
Yes, I saw this mentioned on a Japanese news site a couple of days ago. I don’t think the Japanese government likes this idea. Although the new PM might be different.
Or maybe the JASDF could just add 40 more F-2 or F-15J or
whatever and we could place the planes at Anderson AFB permanently. We should burn our own fuel rotating them to Misawa/Kadena so that the Japanese/Okinawans can be free of the sounds of freedom? I don’t think so.
Seems rather unsettling from my layman’s perspective of the matter.
Is this part of the big Obama Make The North Koreans Forget the Bomb and Learn to Love America Plan?
Isn't that special.
The One who cut the F-22 and ballistic missile defense and is enabling Ahmadinejad.
The Doper Islamo-Commie Kenyan (DICK) is issuing a fatwah on the Free World.
Time to nuke Joe Wilson.
Yeah in the year 2525 maybe...
US out of Japan and Germany (and UN) now!
Looks like Taiwan may have to depend entirely on carrier support if China invades. Given that Japan’s neo-Communists have just recently been voted into power and are more or less angling for Chinese provincial status, I expect any Taiwanese requests - during this party’s term of office - for Japanese help to fend off a Chinese invasion will fall on deaf ears. It would also be a propitious time for China to deal with the “Taiwan problem”.
Only peripherally. It's called make China happy. Make NK happy and by declaring there to be no need for the forces, hussein gets to deactivate them and waste the money on his social projects.
Futemna Bump
Something really strange is going on in the Air Force. Units standing down all over the place. People leaving in disgust. 'sup?
Shaking my head here, too.
“Something really strange is going on in the Air Force. Units standing down all over the place. People leaving in disgust. ‘sup?”
It’s the Carter days all over again!
The list, ping
my personal opinion is, any country that wants us out, we leave...but not part way. 98% of the way...leave a battalion of MP’s and enough aircraft to get them out if unrest occurs....occupy OUR base, but pull out all non essential personnel..deny the local community the economic boost it gets from the military presence, and let them dangle in the wind in the event of trouble...like my mamma used to say, be careful of what you ask for, ‘cuz you might just get it...
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