Pentagon eyeing plan to halt U.S. Forces Japan upgrade, reports say
The Pentagon is reportedly considering halting a planned expansion of U.S. Forces Japan, a key element of Washington's push to more aggressively counter Chinese military assertiveness, drawing immediate criticism from congressional heavyweights.
According to draft documents seen by NBC and CNN, halting plans to convert USFJ into a joint force headquarters could save about $1.1 billion in costs related to personnel and command and control upgrades. But it could also create 'political risk' for Washington with Tokyo and reduce the scope of command and control in the Indo-Pacific region as the U.S.-China rivalry heats up.
Asked for comment by The Japan Times, a Defense Department spokesperson said the Pentagon was aware of the reports, but had 'no announcements to make on this issue.'
'The U.S.-Japan Alliance is at the strongest point in its history and the U.S. commitment to Japan is ironclad,' the spokesperson said in an email. 'The Alliance continues to be the cornerstone of regional peace and security and is at the heart of our Indo-Pacific strategy.'
The reported move would be part of a broader plan to significantly slash the Defense Department's budget of more than $800 billion. The plan would also include merging combatant commands and the U.S. giving up its role as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
But rolling back the plans to expand USFJ would be a dramatic U-turn for an increasingly integrated alliance, following the announcement last July to upgrade the U.S. military in Japan 'to expand its missions and operational responsibilities' — a move labeled 'the most significant change to U.S. Forces Japan since its creation.'
Japan is a crucial U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific, offering the United States military a force multiplier for countering an increasingly assertive and powerful China, with Tokyo widely seen as Washington's most important partner in Asia, if not the world, observers say.
During a February summit, U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reconfirmed the importance of the need to 'further strengthen' U.S.-Japan deterrence and response capabilities by upgrading their respective command and control frameworks.
Japan's top government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, said Friday that 'there is no change in this policy.'
'We would like to continue close discussions between Japan and the U.S. on further strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance, including improving the respective command and control frameworks,' he told a news conference.
The reported proposal to halt USFJ expansion triggered a quick response from congressional leaders who worried that such a move would hand a win to China and others in the region.
Republicans Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a joint statement Wednesday that they are "very concerned" that the Defense Department is 'considering unilateral changes on major strategic issues, including significant reductions to U.S. forces stationed abroad, absent coordination with the White House and Congress.'
'We will not accept significant changes to our warfighting structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combatant commanders and the Joint Staff, and collaboration with Congress,' the statement said. 'Such moves risk undermining American deterrence around the globe and detracting from our negotiating positions with America's adversaries.'
The reports come as Japan's Self-Defense Forces gear up to inaugurate a new Joint Operations Command, known as the JJOC, to improve the SDF's cross-domain operations and enhance coordination with U.S. forces and other partners, with JJOC serving as a counterpart to the envisioned U.S. joint force headquarters.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in February that he was focused on strengthening the military by cutting fiscal fraud, waste and abuse at the Pentagon while also finding ways to refocus the department's budget. On Thursday, Hegseth directed the termination of more than $580 million in programs, contracts and grants.
Hegseth is set to visit Japan for the first time at the end of this month as the allies mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Halting the planned USFJ expansion, as well as calling for Tokyo to spend more on its own defense and cough up more cash for hosting U.S. troops, could be on the agenda.
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