Contractors work on bachelor enlisted quarters at Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz, Guam, Dec. 10, 2024. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
The first contingent of Marines moving from Okinawa to Guam will bunk at Andersen Air Force Base, Naval Base Guam or off-base, not the Corps’ Camp Blaz, a 4,000-acre, multibillion construction project still in the works.
About 100 logistics support troops from III Marine Expeditionary Force have begun moving from the III Marine Expeditionary Force on Okinawa to Guam, according to a joint statement by the Marine Corps and Japan’s Ministry of Defense on Saturday.
Their transfer has been underway for several months, Marine Corps Headquarters spokeswoman Capt. Brenda McCarthy said by email Tuesday.
The first 100 Marines should be in place by 2025, according to a report Saturday by Kyodo News that cited the Defense Ministry.
They are the first of more than 4,000 Marines expected to move from Okinawa under the Defense Policy Review Initiative, a 2012 agreement between the two allies to reduce the military presence on Okinawa, where nearly 30,000 of the 55,000 U.S. service members in Japan are stationed.
Blaz — the first new Marine Corps installation in 72 years — is still largely under construction. It’s expected to eventually house rotational units that are moving from Okinawa.
About 1,300 Marines from III MEF may be permanently stationed on Guam, while another 3,700 Marines may be on the island as a rotational force.
Contractors work on bachelor enlisted quarters at Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz, Guam, Dec. 10, 2024. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
The recently arrived logistics Marines are considered permanently stationed on Guam, Blaz spokeswoman Maj. Diann Rosenfeld said by email Wednesday. She said staff sergeants and above who are permanently stationed on Guam will live on the Air Force and Navy bases or in the local community,
The rotational force will be quartered at Camp Blaz regardless of rank, Rosenfeld said.
Marines, sailors and civilians included in the relocation, regardless of their place of residence, may work at spots around the island, including Blaz, Andersen or the naval base, Rosenfeld said.
Blaz was officially activated in 2020 and has remained under construction since.
At least 22 projects have been completed across the island, mostly at other installations. Another 32 are expected to be completed in fiscal year 2025, Rachel Landers, a spokeswoman for the Office in Charge of Construction Marine Corps Marianas, told Stars and Stripes at Blaz on Dec. 10.
The Defense Policy Review Initiative relocates some Marine assets from Okinawa to Guam, and elsewhere, including Hawaii. Japan is providing approximately $3 billion of the estimated $8.6 billion to build Blaz and its surrounding infrastructure.
McCarthy did not elaborate on a timeline for coming troop arrivals on Guam.
“The Marine Corps continues to explore options for future force posture in the Indo-Pacific region that is geographically distributed, operationally resilient, politically sustainable, and remains capable of supporting our Allies, partners, and the Joint Force,” she said.
