Senators: US military plans to reorganize forces in Japan are unworkable, unaffordable

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Senators: US military plans to reorganize forces in Japan are unworkable, unaffordable
By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, May 11, 1:26 PM

WASHINGTON — Three influential U.S. senators say a planned reorganization of American forces in east Asia is unworkable and unaffordable.

The lawmakers say the Department of Defense should re-examine its plans for South Korea, Guam and the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, where many locals oppose the U.S. troop presence.

The recommendations were made Wednesday by Michigan’s Carl Levin and Arizona’s John McCain, the two highest-ranking members of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia.

They say a 2006 agreement with Japan is outdated and imposes an “enormous financial burden” on the U.S. ally as it recovers from a huge earthquake.




Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senators-us-military-plans-to-reorganize-forces-in-japan-are-unworkable-unaffordable/2011/05/11/AFOv4uqG_story.html