<home> -- <press releases> -- <March 7, 2007> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—March 7, 2007– During a full House Committee on Armed Services hearing on the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization Budget Request for the U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea, Admiral William J. Fallon, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), told Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo and members of the Committee that the bilateral agreement between the United States and Japan to relocate upwards of 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam is largely on track, and that the chances for a dissolution of the underlying bilateral defense agreement are slim. During the hearing, Congresswoman Bordallo asked how the bilateral agreement—and its implementation—would strengthen the diplomatic and national security relationship shared by the “The Prime Minister, Mr. Abe, has stated his firm commitment that this will happen. Things are in place, planning is underway—they’re getting a sense of what needs to be done and how much (it will cost), and I have high confidence this will go forward,” Admiral Fallon stated, while also indicating that Diet members have recently traveled to Guam on assessment tours, and that they will do so again in the near future. “So then there would be no chance of anybody ‘reneging’ on the agreement?” Bordallo asked. “I think the chance of that is very, very small, indeed, because it’s in the interest of both countries,” Admiral Fallon concluded. Also on hand providing testimony to Committee members was General Burwell B. Bell, III, United States Army. General Bell is the Commander of the United Nations Command, Commander, A full audio transcript is available on the House Armed Services Committee website at: http://hascaudio.house.gov/FC030707.wma ### Contact: Joseph E. Duenas in joseph.duenas@mail.house.gov or cathy.gault@mail.house.gov . |
