U.S. military conducts second parachute drop training of 2019 despite opposition

U.S. military conducts second parachute drop training of 2019 despite opposition

https://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/entry-878770.html


February 21, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo online edition

Around 5:18 p.m. on February 21 the U.S. military carried out parachute drop training at Kadena Air Base.

This is the second such training this year, following the training on January 23. Kadena Town and Chatan Town received notification about the parachute drop training, and requested that the Okinawa Defense Bureau stop the training.

However, the U.S. military still conducted the training exercises.

In 1996 the Japan-U.S. Special Action Committee on Okinawa (SACO) agreed to conduct parachute drop training at the Ie Jima Auxiliary Airfield.

The SACO additionally agreed to “use Kadena Air Base only in exceptional cases,” in 2007. Since the SACO agreement in 1996, this instance of parachute drop training at Kadena Air Base was the eleventh.

Local municipalities repeatedly requested that this training cease as it violates the SACO agreement.

After the parachute drop training in January, the Three-City/Town Liaison Council on U.S. Military Kadena Air Base (Three-Party Council), which is comprised of representatives from Okinawa City, Kadena Town, and Chatan Town, met with the commander of Kadena Air Base’s 18th Wing, Brigadier General Case Cunningham, on February 1 and asked him directly not to conduct training.

(English translation by T&CT and Megumi Chibana)

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