Speaking at a Pentagon news conference Saturday, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and their Japanese counterparts announced a host of historic agreements between the two countries. Among the actions are movement of an estimated 7,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam over the next six years, more training opportunities for Japanese forces in the US, and an overall realignment of Japanese forces in Japan to make it easier to work with similar American forces. Also included in the agreements is the move of some USAF F-15 flight exercises from Kadena AB, Okinawa, to five Japan Air Self-Defense Forces bases outside the Japanese prefecture, the Japan Times reported.
Airmen basic rarely go on to become four-star generals, but one who did retired last week after a 42 year career that saw him rise from a lowly slick-sleeve to the head of one of the Air Force’s most important major commands.