Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., left, and ranking member Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., arrive for a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on June 15, 2021. TOM WILLIAMS/CQ-ROLL CALL, INC VIA GETTY IMAGES / SHUTTERSTOCK
In 1968, the United States entered negotiations to return control of Okinawa to Japan. The U.S. occupation of Okinawa had become deeply unpopular in Japan, and leaders from both countries feared it might jeopardize the future of the U.S.-Japan alliance. Within the U.S. government, the central friction point was the Defense Department’s unofficial “blue sky” policy, which favored maintaining control of Okinawa in order to continue stationing nuclear weapons there for deterrence against China and the Soviet Union.
Boost Defense Spending? Congress Owes Us a Better Explanation – Defense One
