US to remove 9,000 Marines from Okinawa

By ROBERT BURNS
AP National Security Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Japan are jointly announcing that about 9,000 U.S. Marines stationed on the Japanese island of Okinawa will move to the U.S. territory of Guam and other locations in the Asia-Pacific, including Hawaii.

The move is part of a broader agreement announced Thursday by both governments. It reflects years of efforts by Okinawa to reduce the U.S. military presence there, as well as the U.S. government's desire to spread its forces more widely in the Asia-Pacific region now that a decade of war in the greater Middle East is ending.

Under the new agreement, approximately 10,000 Marines will remain on Okinawa, which has been a key element of U.S. military strategy in Asia for decades.

Between 4,700 and 5,000 Marines will relocate from Okinawa to Guam.

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