Iwakuni survey to help base expand for thousands of incoming residents

[unhappycamper]

Iwakuni survey to help base expand for thousands of incoming residents
By Travis J. Tritten, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, May 4, 2008

Thousands of new residents are coming to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, and base officials said work will begin this month to make their housing comfortable.

The base’s current servicemembers, spouses and dependents will be surveyed in the coming weeks to find out what they think about housing needs and local support services, said U.S. Navy Lt. Joe Dunaway, who is helping to coordinate the effort.

That information will be used to negotiate with the Japanese government and eventually build the new housing needed to support the U.S.-Japan military realignment plan.

The plan includes the relocation of a carrier-based air wing from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, and an aerial refueling squadron from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on Okinawa, according to the base public affairs office.

The base population will swell from 5,400 to 10,400 residents by 2014, the public affairs office said.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=54532

[ensho]

1. our military is beefing up in Germany and Japan - including families

are the families meant to be shields?