Strong opposition against temporary deployments of US Air National Guard F-16 squadrons to Kadena

Strong opposition against temporary deployments of US Air National Guard F-16 squadrons to Kadena

An F-16 fighter belonging to Tulsa Air National Guard Base in Oklahoma landed at Kadena Air Base at 1:08 p.m., on October 22.


October 23, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo

Five F-16 fighters belonging to the 125th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron located at Tulsa Air National Guard Base in Oklahoma landed at Kadena U.S. Air Base on October 22. According to the U.S. Air Force, 12 F-16 fighters will be deployed temporarily to Kadena from the Tulsa Air National Guard Base.

The U.S. Air Force has not revealed how long they will stay in Okinawa.

This is the third time that fighter squadrons belonging to Air National Guard Bases in the United States have been deployed temporarily to the Kadena Base this year, following deployments of a fighter squadron belonging to Air National Guard Base in Wisconsin in January and a fighter squadron belonging to Air National Guard Base in Vermont in June.

As of October 22, 11 aircraft from U.S. bases outside of Okinawa are stationed at the Kadena Air Base, and operating from the base.

Officials of municipalities near the Kadena Base oppose to the fighter squadrons’ deployment from Air National Guard bases in the United States to Okinawa. They have criticized the governments of Japan and the United States for contradicting the joint government policy of reducing the burden of the bases.

They spoke out against temporary deployment of the U.S. military aircraft to Kadena and called for early withdrawal of the aircraft from the base.

On October 14 and 15, six AV-8B Harriers belonging to U.S. Marine Corp Air Station Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, landed at the Kadena base,

(English translation by T&CT)

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