The US Pacific Command chief says merging the US Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station with another base in Okinawa Prefecture is not being considered at present.
Admiral Robert Willard told reporters at a news conference in Washington on Tuesday that the Pacific Command is not currently recommending the integration of Futenma's functions into Kadena Air Force Base.
Willard said the US is well aware of the opposition by local communities to any additions to Kadena.
US Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter had said earlier this month that merging Futenma's functions into Kadena remains "on the table" as a way forward for the stalled plan to reduce the US military's burden on Okinawa.
Willard's latest remark suggests that the US military is not studying the option seriously.
The merger was proposed by a group of influential US senators, including the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin.
Regarding Russia's increased military activities north of Japan, Willard noted that Russia is apparently trying to revive its presence in the Pacific that had diminished after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Admiral Robert Willard told reporters at a news conference in Washington on Tuesday that the Pacific Command is not currently recommending the integration of Futenma's functions into Kadena Air Force Base.
Willard said the US is well aware of the opposition by local communities to any additions to Kadena.
US Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter had said earlier this month that merging Futenma's functions into Kadena remains "on the table" as a way forward for the stalled plan to reduce the US military's burden on Okinawa.
Willard's latest remark suggests that the US military is not studying the option seriously.
The merger was proposed by a group of influential US senators, including the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin.
Regarding Russia's increased military activities north of Japan, Willard noted that Russia is apparently trying to revive its presence in the Pacific that had diminished after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
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