Helo Transfer

The first two KC-130J Super Hercules aircraft will transfer next month from Okinawa to mainland Japan -- a major step in realigning the Marine Corps' presence and the distributing activities of U.S. forces in Japan, according to a service statement.

The aircraft, part of Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron-152 (VMGR-152), are scheduled to depart Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on Okinawa July 8 and fly to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, beginning the transfer of the squadron from Okinawa to mainland Japan, the statement reads.

The move is a milestone for the implementation of the final report of the Special Action Committee on Okinawa. "The KC-130J squadron transfer is an appropriate step to consolidate, realign and reduce our impacts on Okinawa, and effectively respond to crisis," the statement notes.

The Marine Corps' moving of assets from Okinawa to mainland Japan hasn't been met with universal acceptance on Capitol Hill, particularly among members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. As Inside the Navy reported earlier this month on the panel's fiscal year 2015 defense policy bill:

The committee claimed the Marine Corps' $12.1 billion estimate to realign the service in the Asia Pacific as "conservative and programmatic" and the estimate does not include potential costs for strategic lift or for the relocation of Marines to Australia. Therefore, Senate authorizers are withholding funds for construction activities to implement the realignment of the Marine Corps from Okinawa, Japan.

Senate authorizers are requesting "high-confidence estimates of construction costs and schedules" before initiating construction of new facilities in support of the realignment.