The commander of Marine Corps Installations Pacific, Maj. Gen. Brian Wolford, reopens Ie Shima Auxiliary Airfield alongside Okinawa Defense Bureau Director Masaru Murai on Ie Shima, Okinawa, Dec. 15, 2025. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
IE SHIMA, Okinawa — The Marine Corps has reopened a small island airfield off Okinawa’s coast after two years of repairs, restoring a key training site and easing pressure on Kadena Air Base, where parachute jumps had drawn local opposition.
The auxiliary runway on Ie Shima — a 9-square-mile island northwest of Okinawa’s main island — resumed operations following a reopening ceremony attended by about 100 Marines, sailors and Japanese officials.
Among them was Maj. Gen. Brian Wolford, commander of Marine Corps Installations Pacific, who arrived aboard a C-130J aircraft from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
“Ie Shima has a proud history, and today we add a new chapter — one built on trust, collaboration and a shared vision of stability in the region,” he said during the ceremony.
Marine Corps Installations Pacific commander Maj. Gen. Brian Wolford speaks to reporters during the reopening of Ie Shima Auxiliary Airfield on Ie Shima, Okinawa, Dec. 15, 2025. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)
The airfield is the Marine Corps’ only expeditionary runway in the Indo-Pacific and has undergone what Wolford described as a “complete reset.” Planning was conducted from December 2023 to December 2024, and construction ran from April 1 to Oct. 10 and cost $15 million, said Maj. Erich Lamm, director of the command’s contracting office.
Unlike the previous concrete surface, the rebuilt runway consists of multiple layers of aggregate stone, a design intended to speed repairs and extend the airfield’s lifespan. The new surface supports the same training missions as before, Lamm told reporters after the ceremony.
The runway serves as a parachute training site for the Marine Corps and Air Force. During the repair period, the Air Force’s 18th Wing shifted monthly training drops to Kadena’s Ridout drop zone, a move that prompted protests from Okinawa prefectural officials.
The Ie Shima airfield remains the primary drop zone under bilateral agreements with Japan, the wing said in an unsigned email Monday. However, the command noted that weather, sea conditions and other operational factors may still require occasional jumps at Kadena under an “exceptional use” clause.
A KC-130J with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 takes off from Ie Shima Auxiliary Airfield on Ie Shima, Okinawa, Dec. 15, 2025. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
As of November, the U.S. military had carried out seven parachute drops at Kadena this year, according to Okinawa’s Military Base Affairs Division. Prefectural officials sent protest letters in October arguing the training could no longer be justified as exceptional.
Ie village Mayor Masahide Nashiro did not attend the reopening ceremony, citing consideration for residents, some of whom oppose base activity. The village has also raised concerns about dust generated by runway operations.
To address those complaints, the Marine Corps installed a sprinkler system along the flight line and uses tarps to cover aggregate stockpiles, Lamm said.
Stars and Stripes reporter Keishi Koja contributed to this report.
A KC-130J with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 prepares to take off from Ie Shima Auxiliary Airfield on Ie Shima, Okinawa, Dec. 15, 2025. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
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