Levin, chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, while McCain is the top Republican on the panel. Webb chairs the committee’s Personnel Subcommittee and is chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee.
Levin and Webb recently visited Guam, Tinian and Okinawa, Japan.
According to a separate statement from Guam Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo: “It is important to note that the senators are not saying stop the buildup on Guam. They are saying we must get things done right, which is something I and my colleagues in the U.S. House have stressed for years.”
Levin said “much has changed since the U.S.-Japan Roadmap for Realignment Implementation agreement was signed in 2006. The projected times are totally unrealistic. The significant estimated cost growth associated with some projects is simply unaffordable in today’s increasingly constrained fiscal environment. Political realities in Okinawa and Guam, as well as the enormous financial burden imposed on Japan by the devastation resulting from the disastrous March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, also must be considered.”
McCain said, “The Asia-Pacific region’s growing role in the global distribution of power requires us to consistently review and update plans for the U.S. military’s role in the region.”
Webb, for his part, said “this moment in history requires that we clearly articulate our operational doctrine, thus reshaping the structure of our military posture in that region, particularly in Korea, Japan and Guam.”
The three senators propose:
• Placing the realignment of the basing of U.S. military forces in South Korea on hold pending further review, and reevaluate any proposal to increase the number of family members accompanying military personnel.
• Revising the Marine Corps force realignment implementation plan for Guam to consist of a presence with a permanently assigned headquarters element bolstered by deployed, rotating combat units that are home-based elsewhere, and consideration of off-island training sites.
• Examining the feasibility of moving Marine Corps assets at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, rather than building an expensive replacement facility at Camp Schwab — while dispersing a part of Air Force assets now at Kadena to Andersen Air Base in Guam and/or other locations in Japan.
The senators said these proposals would save billions in taxpayer dollars, keep U.S. military forces in the region, greatly reduce the timing of sensitive political issues surrounding Futenma, and reduce the American footprint on Okinawa.
Bordallo noted that “a more transient presence of Marines, as the senators recommend, might reduce the number of family housing units needed, but it also would reduce the amount of section 30 funds that would come from permanently stationed Marines on Guam. The proposal also would likely reduce the number of military families on Guam and their important ties to our community.”
She said the senators also raised the matter of training ranges in the region.
“They raise a point that I have raised on many occasions, which is asking the Department of Defense to clearly articulate their rationale for a firing range on Guam and what their overall plans are for the region. This is why I sponsored a provision in the House defense authorization bill being considered today by the House Armed Services Committee that requires the Department of Defense to certify a national security requirement for such ranges.”
Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo also wanted to assure the people of the island that his administration is constantly communicating with Defense officials and that “the buildup will happen.”
“There’s just been too much unsubstantiated speculation and conjecture about the buildup,” said Calvo. “As has been expressed to us already, the buildup timeline will be much more deliberate than originally planned. It would be impossible to complete the buildup by 2014. Obviously, this means plans will change.”
He said a closer look at the senators’ statements must be made before “jumping to any conclusions.” He said some of the suggestions made may “bode well for Guam.”
“If there’s a way to increase military presence through either the Marines, the Air Force or the Navy without requiring land for a firing range, then that’s a good thing,” he added.
Guam Speaker Judi Won Pat, for her part, stated that she was “not surprised” by the senators’ statements.
She said her office has been closely monitoring testimony from Congress for months and the fact remains that U.S. lawmakers have been “worried” about the cost of the buildup for a long time.
She said it is important to note that Congress isn’t just questioning the relocation of the Futenma bases, but bases all over the world in an effort to cut costs.
