Quote:
Originally Posted by jammies
It's necessary if you want to control the East China Sea. Its location would be ideal for a Chinese base, were they somehow to acquire it, as it would open up the Pacific entirely (and allow them to send balloons with bombs on them against America from a much closer vantage than, say, Shanghai). Not that they are likely to invade at all, but depending only on bases in Japan to defend Japan is not sound strategy. The Pacific's largest American airbase isn't on Okinawa because it's strategically unimportant.
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Again, I don't believe Okinawa is as strategically important right now as U.S. realignment to the South China Sea. That is far more of a powder keg than the East China sea is at the moment, with far more at stake (energy resources, fishing rights) then the Senkoku Island dispute.
IMO, China is not as likely to challenge Taiwanese, Japanese and American interests in the in the east China Sea as they can challenge interests in the South China Sea. They have a clear military advantage over Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. The recent skrimishes between Vietnamese ships and the Chinese navy over oil resources is indication of this. China also believes they have a natural governing right over the entire sea (see the precedent established by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Island of Palmas case in April 1928 and China's position on the UNCLOS and their claims to resources on EEZs).
American forward strategy is becoming critically important in that area, and any American policy going forward should, IMO, be shifting resources from Okinawa to the South China Sea - a double advantage of updating their military policy in the Asia Pacific as well as forwarding a long-term exit strategy from Okinawa.
