Vistors check out an Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drone during the 47th annual Japanese-American Friendship Festival at Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 20, 2023. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — The Air Force will relocate three RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drones and about 150 personnel from Guam to this airlift hub in western Tokyo, according to a joint announcement by Japan’s Defense and Foreign ministries.
The aircraft, assigned to the 4th Reconnaissance Squadron at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, will begin moving to Yokota this summer, the ministries said Thursday.
The move comes as the United States and Japan seek to strengthen intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities amid a worsening regional security environment.
Yokota — headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan, 5th Air Force and the 374th Airlift Wing — already hosts C-130J Super Hercules and C-12 Huron transport aircraft assigned to the wing, along with CV-22B Ospreys with the 21st Special Operations Squadron.
The RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance surveillance drone capable of operating at altitudes of about 60,000 feet, according to manufacturer Northrop Grumman. It can observe objects more than 340 miles away.
Global Hawks have routinely deployed from Guam to Japan during typhoon season for more than a decade. The aircraft first deployed to Misawa Air Base in northeastern Japan in 2014 and arrived at Yokota for the first time in 2017.
Spokespeople for the wing and 5th Air Force did not reply to emails Monday asking about the move.
Global Hawks and 100 airmen are already at Yokota on a temporary deployment, according to the Japanese statement posted online by the North Kanto Defense Bureau, a division of the Defense Ministry.
“Considering the current security environment, it is necessary to further strengthen Japan-U.S. intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) activities in the region surrounding Japan,” the statement said. The relocation demonstrates the United States’ commitment to Japan’s defense and will strengthen bilateral relations surveillance capabilities, it added.
The statement said no new facilities will be built to support the relocation, although existing structures at Yokota will be renovated.
Japanese officials also said the move is not expected to significantly affect nearby communities because the aircraft are unarmed, have a history of operating from Yokota, and generate relatively little noise compared with other military aircraft.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Friday sent letters to wing commander Col. Richard McElhaney and Japan’s Defense and Foreign ministers requesting thorough safety measures and timely disclosure of information about future operations.
“Global Hawks have continued to be temporarily deployed to Yokota Air Base for over three years, raising strong concerns about its future operation, including permanent stationing,” said the letter posted on the municipality’s website.
The metro government said national security is the responsibility of Japan’s central government but urged U.S. forces to give maximum consideration to those living near the base.
The Defense Ministry said it would continue urging U.S. forces to comply with noise-abatement measures and minimize impacts on local residents.
