The US and Japan reached agreement on consolidating Marine Corps airborne operations on the island of Okinawa. The deal calls for moving operations at Marine Corps Air Station at Futenma to another base on the island. The decision to move the base was made in 1996, but negotiations dragged on. The agreement reached on Oct. 26 comes at a time when the US is attempting to renegotiate the presence of its military on Japanese soil in light of Asian-Pacific security threats such as North Korea.
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff touted his highly unusual background for the job as an asset and reaffirmed his commitment to stay apolitical during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 1.