Key points are for this upcoming February, top Pentagon officials are wary about putting so much money into the Pacific pivot when it comes to budgeting for fiscal year 2016. The Pacific, however, will get the fanciest toys such as F-35 5th generation stealth fighters and long range strike bombers for the air force. The air force will see resistance on trying to retire the A-10 aircraft because of costs and the navy will see resistance on its attempts to retire more cruisers, which are surface ships used for air defense among other things. Japan meanwhile will see Iwakuni continue to expand as dirt from a mountain will be used to provide the needed soil for housing the carrier wing for the USS George Washington. Okinawa should remain contentious as Prefectural politics bumps up against GOJ politics and American pressures to further militarize the norther part of the island. The Guam military transformation will continue as AAFB is hardened further, more money will be released that originally came from Japan and more military exercises and training will take place (probably at levels not equal to anything seen since the World War Two era). The consequences will be material and they will have impacts on the islands ecosystem. The troika of Frank Kendall, Bob Work and Ash Carter at the Pentagon will continue to have their hands full over the next two years, especially with the presidential election cycle brewing and candidates posturing to make themselves look attractive to the national electorate.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 00:25:07 +0000
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