Approximately 400 personnel will participate in the training. Service members from Marine Aircraft Group 12 will also participate in various events in the local community during their stay here, according to the Andersen AFB Public Affairs Office.
Japanese and United States officials negotiated to conduct the exercises on Guam, according to the United Press International.
The fighter jets will be conducting takeoff and landing exercises. The FA-18s are currently based at the U.S. Marine Corps Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun.
The article states Japan will be covering three-quarters of the cost of fuel and other expenses needed for the jets to fly in Guam, and the United States is expected to cover the remaining one-quarter. The exercises were originally scheduled to take place in Okinawa Prefecture but are being moved to Guam to reduce noise levels around Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.
The move is an attempt to lower the burden on Okinawa residents of hosting U.S. bases, in an effort to gain cooperation of the prefectural government, the report states.
Officials from Tokyo are negotiating with Washington to temporarily move all exercises at Kadena Air Base to Guam from the beginning of 2012, as local residents are aggravated by the noise of military planes.
This is the second drill conducted on Guam; the first was conducted in October. The transfer of the drills, including the current one, is scheduled to take place in about two to three stages over the period until next March, and then continue beyond Fiscal Year 2012, which starts in April. Tokyo will cover three-fourths of the cost of relocating the drills, while Washington shoulders the remainder, according to Kyodo News.
The ministry also aims to transfer drills involving U.S. Air Force F-15 fighters from the Kadena base directly to Guam.
Andersen AFB is a premier Air Force installation that hosts a variety of aircraft training events throughout the year, in addition to hosting a rotating presence of bomber, tanker and fighter aircraft and permanently-stationed RQ-4 Global Hawks. The 36th Wing at Andersen AFB provides the President of the United States sovereign options to decisively employ airpower across the entire spectrum of engagement.
