Guam - Some U.S. officials are reportedly exploring the possibility of moving some U.S. forces from Okinawa to Subic Bay in the Philippines, and scaling down the move to Guam, according to a report on Inquirer.net.
U.S. Senators Daniel Inouye and Thad Cochran made a quick re-fueling stop on Guam earlier this week and then flew onto Subic Bay where, according to the Inquirer report, they visited the Subic Free Port and met with Olongapo Mayor James Gordon Jr.
Gordon told the Inquirer that the Senators wanted to see the success of the free port, which the U.S. left 20 years ago after the Philippine Senate rejected a treaty extending the stay of U.S. military bases in the country.
READ the report on Inquirer.net
The Inquirer raised the question of whether the U.S. is exploring the possibility of moving U.S. Marines in Okinawa to Subic Bay, rather than Guam.
But Outgoing Subic Bay Administrator Armand Arreza told the Inquirer that the possibility of Subic being an alternative site to Guam was “officially not discussed.”
However, the Inquirer quotes un-named sources as saying that Senators Inouye and Cochran "appeared to be interested in the possibility of an increased presence of the US military [in Subic Bay] ... they were curious about the reception in the [Philippines] of an [increased presence of the US military] here.”
Mayor Gordon told the Inquirer that he would "welcome" a return of U.S. Forces. "We want two economies here—the one that is free port-based and the other [which relies on support services] to the US military. They can coexist here."
Mayor Gordon said Inouye and Cochran also discussed the delays in the transfer of US bases in Japan to Guam, telling the Inquirer that the Guam build-up would be scaled down following the Japan disaster.
