As part of the U.S. force restructuring in the Pacific, the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa is preparing to move its air wing to Shimoji, an island southwest of the main island of Okinawa, about 200 miles east of Taiwan, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation reported Oct. 13. That same day, Taiwan's ET Today Web site reported the United States and Japan have established an outpost on Xiadi Island (Shimoji) and that Japan's Department of Self-Defense has decided to station four Air Force units, including F-15C squadrons, on the island. The proposed movement of U.S. and Japanese air assets westward demonstrates the evolution of the U.S.-Japanese security alliance that includes not only more active participation by Japan, but also Taiwan. U.S.-Japanese discussions over the U.S. force restructuring have been ongoing for more than a year; plans for the future U.S. military presence in the Pacific are unfolding slowly.