Air Force bans Chinese-made electric vehicles from base on Okinawa

The Air Force has barred vehicles made by Build Your Dreams from entering Kadena Air Base due to “unacceptable and unmitigable” risks to operations. Build Your Dreams, a Chinese manufacturer of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, has a dealership in Tomigusuku city, Okinawa, seen here on Oct. 26, 2026. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes) The Air Force has barred vehicles manufactured by Chinese automaker Build Your Dreams from entering Kadena Air Base on Okinawa due to “unacceptable and unmitigable” risks to operations, according to the 18th Wing. Wing commander Brig. Gen. John Gallemore made the decision “after a thorough, consultative process which determined that these vehicles present an unacceptable and unmitigable risk to our personnel and our mission,” spokeswoman Lt.

Col. Alli Stormer said by email Monday. The restriction applies to privately owned vehicles, taxis, delivery trucks and contractor vehicles, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported Friday, citing unnamed U.S. military officials in Japan. Kadena is the only U.S. base in Japan to ban BYD vehicles, Air Force Col. John Severns, spokesman for U.S. Forces Japan, said by email Friday. “If that changes, we’ll announce it to our base populations,” he wrote. The vehicles are not barred from U.S. military bases on the Korean Peninsula. “U.S. Forces Korea continuously reviews installation access and security measures to ensure the safety and