(2012-02-02)
It is difficult to give the Kyodo article proper weight because it is unclear who said it and why, said Denny Roy, an expert on Asian-Pacific military affairs. Roy is a senior fellow at the East-West Center, which is a federally funded think-tank in Hawaii.
In an interview with the Pacific Daily News, Roy explained that it is "very unlikely" that the Defense Department would make statements that so bluntly portray China as an adversary, so the Kyodo source is probably not a military official.
Even if they are, they are likely expressing a "disgruntled, minority view" fueled by frustration that it is not being followed, Roy said.
Roy also said it was not truly surprising that the Pentagon would at least consider Hawaii as an alternative.
"The military considers all kind of things that never see the light of day and would probably shock the average member of the American public," Roy said.
"You would think that, if the original problem was how do we lighten the burden on Okinawa, that several wide range possibilities would be considering, perhaps including Hawaii, unless it was felt that Hawaii is simply too far away," Roy said. ... ...