Latest news with #USFJ
Japan Times
24-03-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan launches new Joint Operations Command to unify SDF branches
Japan on Monday formally established a permanent Joint Operations Command that will centrally oversee the three branches of the Self-Defense Forces, allowing for the smoother integration of operations across domains to prepare for and respond to possible emergencies — including over democratic Taiwan. Known as JJOC, the new Joint Operations Command will be located at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo's Ichigaya area, and will be made up of an initial staff of 240 personnel and headed by Gen. Kenichiro Nagumo, who was previously vice chief of staff for the SDF's Joint Staff Office. Nagumo is also expected to serve as a counterpart to the head of the U.S. military's Indo-Pacific Command when it comes to coordinating joint operations, while acting as a coordinator with an upgraded U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ). The Pentagon announced last July plans to enhance USFJ that would 'expand its missions and operational responsibilities' — a move Washington said would 'facilitate deeper interoperability and cooperation on joint bilateral operations in peacetime and during contingencies.' Though the plan to reconstitute USFJ has been labeled 'the most significant change' to the U.S. military in Japan since its creation, media reports last week said those plans could be put on ice as the U.S. Defense Department looks to slash its more than $800 billion budget. Regardless, JJOC is a significant reform for the SDF, one that was long debated and long delayed, and represents a victory for advocates of boosted integration as a key aspect of bolstering Japan's deterrence and response capabilities. Nagumo, who has the same rank as the chiefs of staff of each of the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces, will command the Ground Component Command, the Self-Defense Fleet, the Air Defense Command, the Cyber Defense Command and the Space Operations Group. Until JJOC's formation, the SDF's top uniformed officer, the chief of the Joint Staff, had overseen joint operations. But the chief of staff was simultaneously also tasked with advising the defense minister, a workload that could prove unmanageable during large-scale crises. The new joint command will relieve the Joint Staff chief of this duty, allowing the person in that post to focus on advising the defense minister. The SDF had long followed a policy of responding to crises as they arose by organizing temporary joint task forces, such as the one established after the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. But, taking into account the risks of similar major disasters, including of a massive earthquake hitting the Tokyo area — as well as rising fears of a military clash over Taiwan, on the Korean Peninsula or near the Japanese-controlled, Chinese-claimed Senkaku Islands — the need grew for a permanent post that could prepare and be ready to respond immediately to crises. Another closely watched aspect of the new joint command will be how it oversees Japan's implementation of its 'counterstrike capability,' which enables the ostensibly pacifist country to strike enemy territory but is also intended to act as a deterrent to attacks. Nagumo, who was in charge of Japan's response to North Korean ballistic missile launches and airspace incursions among other duties as vice chief of the Joint Staff, brings a deep well of knowledge about the new counterstrike capability to the post. For now, though, much attention will also be focused on how U.S. plans for the American military presence in Japan are impacted by President Donald Trump's administration. If the planned USFJ joint operations change is nixed, this could potentially mean that progress toward a more integrated U.S.-Japan alliance will also falter. It would also mean that the JJOC commander's counterpart would continue to be with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which is headquartered some 6,200 kilometers away in Hawaii and has responsibility over not just Japan, but the region as a whole. While this type of cooperation would be a step in the right direction, advocates of closer ties say the distance alone could complicate any attempts to work together in a timely fashion.
Japan Times
21-03-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
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.
