Japan is planning to upgrade the 15th Brigade in Okinawa Prefecture into a division and consolidate special operations units into a new brigade in response to rising security threats from China, the defense news Web site Defence Blog said.
Okinawa, host to about 70 percent of US military facilities in Japan, is seen as strategically important for monitoring China, the Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula.
Okinawa’s Yonaguni Island is just 108km from Taiwan.
Photo: Reuters
The Japanese Ministry of National Defense has previously disclosed plans to transform the 15th Brigade into the 15th Division next year, Japanese media reported.
In a report published on Sunday, the Defence Blog said the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) 15th Brigade, a 2,300-strong formation garrisoned in Naha, Okinawa, is tasked with defending Japan’s southwestern territories.
The upgraded division would include a second infantry regiment, a new unit equipped with Type 16 maneuver combat vehicles to replace the brigade reconnaissance company, and reinforced logistics and communications capabilities, the report said.
The reorganization would raise the unit’s authorized strength to about 3,200 troops, about equivalent to a brigade in many other militaries, it said.
Transforming the 15th Brigade into a division with only a modest increase in labor resources and equipment might reflect Tokyo’s intent to enhance interoperability with the US Marine Corps’ III Marine Expeditionary Force, which is essentially a reinforced division, it added.
Under the new structure, commanders of the Japanese and US forces tasked with joint Indo-Pacific operations would hold the rank of major general, facilitating coordination, the report said.
Another significant change under consideration is the creation of a Special Forces Brigade to place Japan’s elite units under a unified command. The plan would integrate the Special Forces Group, based at Camp Narashino in Chiba Prefecture, with the Central Readiness Regiment, based at Camp Utsunomiya in Tochigi Prefecture, it said.
The Special Forces Group is a 300-strong special missions unit modeled after the US Army’s Delta Force and the UK’s 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, while the Central Readiness Regiment is a 700-strong mechanized infantry formation capable of supporting special operations, the outlet said.
The consolidation of the JGDSF’s elite units into a brigade-level command is expected to enhance Japan’s capability to conduct special missions, including counter-terrorism, hostage rescue and direct action operations against high value targets, the outlet said.
“While the [Japanese] Ministry of Defense has not fully explained the reasons for the reorganization, analysts note that it reflects Japan’s ongoing military modernization and the need to respond more effectively to potential crises in its southwestern island chain,” Defence Blog said.
Additional reporting by AFP
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