Ensuring a Sustainable Presence: The Relocation of the Navy Carrier Air Wing From Atsugi to Iwakuni Air Base - Politics, Policy & Readiness

YCAPS is excited to announce the next event in the Community Conversations seminar series in the Yokosuka Community! This event will feature Dr. Shawn D. Harding, Visiting Fellow at the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, who will guide us in a discussion on the relocation of the US Navy Carrier Air Wing to Iwakuni Air Base.

Dr. Harding will present the research and findings from his doctoral dissertation, “Realizing a Benefit, Not a Burden: Base Politics, Local Coordination, and the Transformation of Iwakuni Air Base.” This presentation will focus specifically on the relocation of Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5) to Iwakuni. Dr. Harding will describe the drivers for this relocation initiative by presenting a brief history of Atsugi Air Base, the homeporting of the USS Midway, the controversy over Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP), and Atsugi’s history of aircraft accidents and noise lawsuits. He will then describe the central level negotiations that led to the decision to relocate CVW-5 from Atsugi to Iwakuni and the local coordination necessary to achieve local acceptance for the move. The brief will conclude with a description of the relocation itself and policy recommendations to ensure a long-term sustainable presence of the carrier air wing in Japan.

Registration: Optional via this Google Form.

Schedule:

• 18:15-19:00 Refreshments & Networking (food & drinks)
• 19:00-20:15 Presentation and Q&A
• 20:15-20:30 Post Event Conversing

Location: *Please take note: We are back in our new location, The Yokosuka City Industrial Plaza, for this event!

Yokosuka City Industrial Exchange Plaza Training Room #2

〒238-0041 Kanagawa, Yokosuka, Honchō, 3-chōme−27 メルキュールホテル横須賀
https://www.yokosuka-sanpla.jp/

Google Map

Speaker:

Dr. Shawn D. Harding is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies and a Non-Resident Scholar for the U.S.-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative at Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA. His research focuses on U.S.-Japan security cooperation, international negotiation, political-military relations, and base politics. He is a former security cooperation program manager at the F-35 Joint Program Office and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) where he managed Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs. Dr. Harding was also a program manager for the Defense Policy Review Initiative (DPRI) at Iwakuni, Japan. He holds a Doctor of International Affairs (DIA) and Master of International Public Policy (MIPP) from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and an MS in Technology Management (MSTM) and BA in History from the University of Maryland, University College.

Format: This event will be off-the-record.

Registration: Optional via this Google Form
Moderators: Jeff Mazziotta, YCAPS Activites Coordinator

Co-Sponsor: None
Seminar Cost: Free of charge