Friday, March 23, 2001

By Greg Tyler
Sasebo bureau chief

Adm. Dennis C. Blair

SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Naval forces in Japan are likely to remain stable during the next five to 10 years, Adm. Dennis C. Blair, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, said Thursday.

"I would anticipate that individual ships will be swapped out, and capabilities will be improved, but the basic footprint that we have here will be pretty consistent," Blair said.

The admiral made his comments on a stopover that included a visit to Sasebo's galley, the Shogun Café, and a question-and-answer session with about 50 base personnel.

Prior to his Sasebo visit, Blair met Monday with Cho Sung-Tae, South Korea’s minister of national defense, to exchange views on Korean national security. Blair left Sasebo late Thursday morning en route to Yokota Air Base in Tokyo.

"I think we are pretty stable (in the Pacific) as far as the forward-deployed naval forces," he said. "We have an amphibious ready group here in Sasebo, and we have a battle group up in Yokosuka. And we have good logistics support services."

If needs arise, the Pacific forces in Japan would be bolstered, he said.

"We build up when we have to," he said. "If there is trouble in this part of the world, then we have to bring in more ships to support those who are here."

He said the political winds in Washington seem favorable to the continued presence of U.S. forces in the Pacific, and particularly in Japan.

"I can’t always speak for Washington; they surprise me from time to time," he said. "But I think the idea of forward-deployed naval forces is a pretty enduring one. It’s in the best interest of the United States, and it’s in the best interest of Japan. I think Washington will continue to support it."

He said U.S. personnel need to continue to foster a cooperative atmosphere between the American military and Japanese residents.

"We have some issues with our neighbors. … Sometimes things we do to train make a lot of noise and disturb those who live nearby, and of course here in Japan, things are pretty tight compared to many places in the States. So there are going to be those frictions, and we just have to follow a good-neighbor policy," Blair explained.

Blair, a former Rhodes Scholar who assumed command in February of 1999, said duty in Japan has improved since he was stationed here as commanding officer of a ship at Yokosuka Naval Base about 15 years ago.

"One thing is the same though," he said. "When sailors are sent here, they come kicking and screaming, and when they are sent back, they go kicking and screaming. We have to get the word out better to the rest of the Navy about duty in Japan."

Meanwhile, to the delight of those gathered at the galley to see Blair re-enlist Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric Brown, a Navy journalist, Blair called Sasebo Naval Base the best in Japan.

"But I have to be careful," he joked. "I’m going up to Yokosuka soon."

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