Overseas Presence: Issues Involved in Reducing the Impact of the U.S. Military Presence on Okinawa
NSIAD-98-66
Published: Mar 02, 1998. Publicly Released: Mar 02, 1998.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the contents of the Final Report of the Special Action Committee on Okinawa (SACO), focusing on: (1) the impact on readiness of U.S. forces based on Okinawa after implementation of the report recommendations; (2) the U.S. cost of implementing the recommendations; and (3) the benefit or necessity of having U.S. Marine Corps forces on Okinawa.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should decide on the means to monitor the design, engineering, and construction of the sea-based facility. |
Implementation of the SACO agenda is an ongoing process and will continue until completed, 7 to 10 years hence.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should work with Japan to include a risk-reduction phase in the acquisition schedule to establish that the designed sea-based facility will be affordable and operationally suitable. |
DOD concurred with recommendation and will continue to pursue this with the Japanese government.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should take steps to ensure that all U.S. concerns, especially the costs of operations and maintenance on the sea-based facility and operational concerns, have been satisfactorily addressed before Japan begins to build the sea-based facility. |
DOD concurred with recommendation and will continue to pursue implementation of the recommendation as the SACO agenda is implemented.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should request the Japanese government to allocate funds for those projects at Futenma that were cancelled by Japan due to the planned closure of Futenma and are deemed essential to continue operations of the station and the 1st Marine Air Wing until completion of the replacement facility. |
DOD will pursue this recommendation as the SACO agreements are implemented. It is an ongoing process.
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Armed forces abroadBase closuresCombat readinessCost analysisFacility constructionInternational relationsMilitary basesMilitary policiesMilitary withdrawalMilitary forces