India, March 31 -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that the Defense Department has started phase one of upgrading U.S. Forces Japan to a joint force headquarters.
The department originally announced in 2024 that USFJ would be upgraded from a primarily administrative command to a joint force headquarters, meaning it would have more war-fighting and operational responsibilities.
Hegseth said the USFJ upgrade will help improve the command's ability to operate with Japan's Joint Operations Command. It was established last week, and is responsible for commanding branches of the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
"It increases our readiness to respond to [any] contingency or crisis, support U.S. operations and help Japan and U.S. forces d...