The drones will be redeployed from the US military base in Guam in the Pacific Ocean to Japan this summer. Thus, the drones will be close to the areas for aerial surveillance, including the territory of North Korea.
Since 2014, two Global Hawk drones have been temporarily deployed at Misawa air base. Within approximately six months, starting in July two more drones will be moved to Japan.
Earlier, the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes cited former USAF officer Ralph Koss who said that the most likely target for the Global Hawks deployed in Japan will be North Korea with its nuclear and missile projects. The newspaper also linked the plans to deploy US drones at Misawa base with China’s increased activity near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
According to the newspaper, Misawa base would allow the US military not to bolster its presence in Okinawa where local residents have actively protested against American military presence and the construction of a new airfield.
