hairAdena Air Force Base Japan’s naval base, the largest in the Pacific, (pictured) is about 400 miles (650 kilometers) from the Chinese coast when the missiles fly. Jets roar constantly over children’s playgrounds on their way to and from patrols. But U.S. forces in Japan have been operating on a virtually peacetime footing since the end of the Vietnam War. That will change on July 28, when Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the creation of a new combatant command to oversee all U.S. forces in Japan.
The shift, which U.S. officials called a “historic” one, reflects Washington and Japan’s wariness of the threat posed by a rapidly growing Chinese military. The new command is aimed at bolstering Japan’s defenses as a once-rear-area base that increasingly appears on the front line in a conflict with China, and at reflecting Japan’s plans to create a U.S.-style unified command combining air, naval, land and other forces early next year.
“This will finally transform the U.S.-Japan relationship, which was once centered on a bases agreement, into a projects agreement. we “We need to transform our military forces into true military alliances,” argues Christopher Johnston of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Direct currentThis move has strengthened China’s fears of containment and has prompted the US to launch a “China-Asia strategy.” NATO“
That couldn’t be further from reality: America’s allies in Asia, unlike other nations, have no mutual defense obligations to protect each other. NATO. right now we The military in Japan (U.S. military in JapanThe Indo-Pacific Command (IPC) is the headquarters for the forces stationed primarily in the country and acts as a liaison with the Japanese government. The actual combatant commander, Admiral Samuel Paparo, is based 7,500 km to the east in Hawaii.
The plan, which dates back to Admiral Chester Nimitz, who led many naval battles and island-hopping missions against Japan from Hawaii in World War II, has become increasingly implausible. land The Institute for Security Studies, another U.S. think tank, says any war with China would likely severely disrupt communications with frontline forces in Japan and elsewhere in the western Pacific, whether through cyberattacks, the destruction of undersea cables or clashes in space to disable each other’s surveillance and communications satellites.
Thus, creating a forward operational command within range of Chinese missiles is reminiscent of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought many of the battles with Japan in the Philippines and Papua New Guinea much closer (and sometimes dangerously) than Nimitz, and who later governed Japan after its surrender.
Revamped U.S. military in Japan It would be led by a three-star general who would report to Admiral Paparo. Japan had been pushing for a four-star officer, such as General Paul LaCamera, who commands the U.S. forces in South Korea. But U.S. officials said the general would take over command of both the U.S. and South Korean forces (and also assume command of the remaining South Korean forces) in the event of war. united nations In Japan, even in a crisis, the two armies receive orders from separate chains of command.
Still, the aim is to more closely integrate training, planning and ultimately warfighting. “Once this transition is complete, U.S. military in Japan Provide direct leadership in planning and instruction we “The United States will be working with the Self-Defense Forces both in peacetime and in potential crises,” a senior U.S. administration official said. “They will be working side by side with the Japanese military to a degree they have never done before.”
Japan has announced that it will increase its defense spending by more than 60% in 2022, bringing it up to 2% of its total population. GDPIt plans to acquire long-range missiles capable of reaching mainland China by 2027. For the time being, such long-range attacks will likely be impossible without intelligence and other assistance from the United States.
Building Blocks
The new US military headquarters will be set up in stages, but there are many unresolved questions, including its size, authority, location and scope of responsibility, and the extent to which other allies in the Indo-Pacific region will be integrated into operations. Many of these issues are sensitive, either because of rivalries among US troops or because Japan is struggling to shed its pacifist roots. “Both the left and the right want the Japanese military to retain more sovereignty,” says Tsuneo Watanabe of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, a Japanese think tank.
One question has to do with US politics. President Joe Biden’s administration is seeking to strengthen an expanding “lattice structure” of security arrangements in Asia and institutionalize burgeoning trilateral military cooperation with Japan and South Korea ahead of the US elections in November. Yet the US is still hesitant to consider whether it should consider setting up a new Joint Operations Command for Japan.J-JOCThe new headquarters is scheduled to begin operations in March 2025. Parliament, which has the mandate to authorise the headquarters and allocate its budget, has been all but paralysed by political polarization and election fever.
Another question is where the headquarters will be located. Many American experts expect it to be located next to the Japanese headquarters. Current plans call for it to be located next to the Japanese headquarters. J-JOC It will be installed at the Ministry of Defense in central Tokyo. U.S. military in Japan It is located at Yokota Air Base outside the city.
The USFJ was established primarily to defend Japan. But what role would the command play if a serious crisis occurred elsewhere in the region, such as a Chinese invasion of Taiwan? Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has no formal diplomatic relations with either the US or Japan. How involved would the new command be if the US military decided to defend Taiwan? That remains to be answered. Similarly, it is unclear whether other Pacific allies, such as the Philippines or Australia, could be integrated if they decided to fight alongside the US.
Traditionally, the United States has played the role of the “spear” fighting the Chinese military, while Japan has played the role of the “shield” protecting its territory and U.S. military bases. It is questionable whether this distinction would be maintained in an all-out war over Taiwan.
Yet Japan is rapidly shedding its reservations about Taiwan, which it ruled for half a century until 1945. The late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo declared that “a Taiwan emergency is also a Japan emergency.” A joint maritime rescue drill conducted by Japanese and Taiwanese coast guard vessels earlier this month was a testament to this. Japan has donated coast guard vessels and maritime radar to the Philippines, which has been engaged in repeated clashes with Chinese forces in disputed areas of the South China Sea. Japan has also signed “reciprocal access agreements” with both Australia and the Philippines to host each other’s military forces.
If successful, the joint force model could spread. Last month, the US established a joint command (under a two-star commander) to strengthen the defense of US islands. Some have suggested the US might do something similar in Australia, where the US has a growing military presence. Having multiple commands across the Pacific, able to direct joint forces and scale them as needed, would make the US more resilient if, for example, one of its commands were to fail.
MacArthur knew how to command under fire, but his command at Pearl Harbor would remain as important as it had been to helping Nimitz and America win the Pacific War. ■
