The United States continues to enhance its military preparedness with Japan amid a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan that could draw both allies into a regional war.
In late October, the U.S. Marine Corps established a forward arming and refueling point, or FARP, on Yonaguni—the westernmost inhabited island of Japan—near Taiwan during an exercise, expanding the reach of aircraft during combat operations.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why It Matters
Yonaguni Island is 69 miles from Taiwan’s east coast. The narrow waterway between the two islands is often used by the Chinese military for transits and exercises, raising security concerns in Japan over its southwestern outlying islands should China invade Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing threatens to take by force for reunification.
The U.S. military deploys 60,000 troops—along with stealth fighter jets and an aircraft carrier—in Japan under a mutual defense treaty. However, American forces could be targeted by Chinese missiles if Washington comes to Taiwan’s aid in the event of an invasion. Beijing has long warned against foreign military intervention on the island.
What To Know
In a Tuesday press release, the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, a U.S. Marine Corps aviation unit headquartered on Japan’s Okinawa Island, said a FARP was set up on Yonaguni on October 27 during a joint training exercise with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.
This marked the first time a FARP, which can refuel and maintain both aircraft and helicopters, was established on the remote Japanese island. Using equipment airlifted from Okinawa, the FARP refueled CH-53E helicopters to demonstrate its capabilities.
In a vast maritime environment interspersed with islands, such as in the Indo-Pacific region, the ability to refuel and maintain aviation units can support expeditionary operations and natural disaster response by expanding the range and capacity of aircraft.
Colonel Lee W. Hemming, the Marine Aircraft Group 36 commanding officer, said the ability to rapidly establish and disassemble FARPs in austere environments enhances the unit’s capacity to respond to and support disaster relief and other critical operations.
Participating helicopters were assigned to the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462. Its executive officer, Major Patrick X. Kelly, said the Yonaguni FARP strengthened combined capabilities and increased the interoperability of U.S. and Japanese forces.
The U.S. Marine Corps has previously trained on Yonaguni. Last year, it deployed the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar there during a war game. The radar can detect threats such as aircraft, cruise missiles, and rocket, artillery and mortar fire.
What People Are Saying
The U.S. 1st Marine Aircraft Wing said in a Tuesday press release: “The combined execution of FARP operations between the U.S. and Japanese Self-Defense Force is invaluable to both nations, reinforcing decades of combined training, shared relationships and mutual trust. This successful FARP operation on Yonaguni exemplifies III Marine Expeditionary Force’s unwavering commitment to maintaining peak readiness and capability to rapidly respond to any crisis or conflict in the Indo-Pacific.”
U.S. Marine Corps Major Patrick X. Kelly, executive officer of the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462, said in a Tuesday press release: “This evolution not only validated that [Marine Aircraft Group 36]’s organic heavy-lift assault support helicopters, in support of its adjacent units and our [Japan Ground Self-Defense Force] partners, can generate tempo anywhere the commander should choose, but also served as a huge leap forward in our relations between the U.S. Marines and the [Japan Ground Self-Defense Force].”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether the U.S. Marine Corps will conduct additional FARP operations across Japan’s islands, particularly with its F-35B stealth fighter jets, which can perform short takeoffs and vertical landings, allowing it to operate from austere bases.