US to station new Marine regiment in Okinawa, Japan: Defense secretary

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US will station a new Marine unit in Japan's southern island of Okinawa, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday.

"We've decided that the 12th Artillery Regiment would remain in Japan and be reorganized into the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment by 2025," Austin said during a press conference with his Japanese counterpart Yasukazu Hamada.

"We will equip this new formation with advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance as well as anti-ship and transportation capabilities that are relevant to the current and future threat environments," said the US defense chief.

Austin said the US-Japan alliance "remains a cornerstone of our Indo Pacific strategy" and it is critical to upholding a free and open regional order.

The two defense chiefs will also meet Friday and sign deals to boost the defense capabilities of the two nations.

"Minister Hamada and I will sign new arrangements that will increase opportunities for the Japanese and the United States defense enterprises to closely cooperate on advanced technologies as well as increased linkages between our respective industrial bases," Austin said.

Hamada, for his part, said Japan and the US will put their strategies into actions quickly and steadily in light of the severity of the security environment.

"Based on the new strategy in order to expeditiously achieve the fundamental reinforcement of Japan's defense capabilities, I am committed to making maximum efforts to gain new capabilities, including counterstrike capability, and to enhance persistent welfare capability," said the Japanese defense chief.