【Epoch Times news June 22, 2024】(Reporter Zhao Fenghua) General Eric Smith, the commander of the United States Marine Corps, stated in an interview with the media on Friday (June 21) that a new unit with rapid response capabilities will be established in Okinawa, Japan in November, aimed at “countering Chinese aggression” and defending allies in the Indo-Pacific region such as Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.
According to the report by Nikkei News, the US military has reorganized its forces stationed in Japan and established a new unit called the “Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR)” with the purpose of rapidly deploying defense in the event of attacks on remote islands.
General Smith, speaking in Washington, said, “This unit is intended to provide long-range surveillance and long-range firepower, using mobile missile launchers to target enemy ships on strategic maritime traffic routes.” He added, “This unit is aimed at protecting mainland Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea.”
China continues its provocative actions in the East China Sea. If a sudden event occurs in Taiwan, the US military bases in the southwest of Okinawa may also engage in combat.
The Marine Littoral Regiment stationed in Okinawa has approximately two thousand troops. In emergencies, they will be deployed to surrounding islands to attack Chinese naval vessels from land, disrupting China’s military operations.
General Smith also revealed that the Marine Corps plans to establish another Littoral Regiment on the Pacific island of Guam within the next few years, making it the third such unit after Hawaii and Okinawa.
“The Guam Littoral Regiment will be responsible for rapid deployment within the first island chain, entering the Philippines to open up operational space, and safeguarding strategic traffic routes from Japan to the Philippines, and then to Hawaii,” said General Smith.
Starting from December this year, the US military will transfer some Marine Corps personnel currently stationed in Okinawa to Guam. From about one hundred personnel to eventually four thousand, they will be relocated to the US military base in Guam.
When asked if all these security measures are sufficient to deter Chinese aggression, General Smith said, “This question should actually be asked to China… If they don’t want their ships to be sunk, then these measures are enough to deter them.”
He added, “Because if they attack the Philippines or Japan, it will be a very bad day for them. Because we are committed to the collective defense of Japan.”