The Indo-Pacific policy of the USA, which started under Barack Obama and continued with Donald Trump and Joe Biden, has shifted world politics and its center of gravity from the Atlantic to the Pacific region, in parallel with China’s increasing economic and military power. This geography, which comprises the USA, China, Japan, that have strong economies in the world, and Southeast Asian countries whose dynamism have been increasing day by day, stands out as the main area where the international power hierarchy will be determined.
Indo-Pacific Strategy Documents released by the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of State respectively in 2019 emphasize the importance of the region, particularly highlight Guam in terms of military strategy.
Except for the short-term Japanese occupation in the 1940s, the island of Guam, which has been under the control of the USA since 1989, is located in an important geographical location, being 4,000 km from Beijing and 6,000 km from Hawaii. Guam is also called the “tip of the spear” due to its proximity to regions of the world that are at risk of conflict such as the South China Sea, Taiwan Strait, Yellow Sea and North Korea.
Having hosted long-range bombers and supply lines during the Korean and Vietnam wars in the past[1], Guam still plays a key role in the US Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy. For this reason, Admiral Philip Davidson, shortly before retiring from the US Indo-Pacific Command Presidency referred to island “most critical operating location west of the international dateline.”[2]
As a military capability capacity Guam provides operational skill and logistical support for critical operations to all US forces in the region. Located in an advantageous geography in terms of ammunition supply chain, fuel storage capacity, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, the island has also become one of the central regions of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy thanks to its two main military bases, which are Andersen Air Force Base and Guam Naval Base. In this context, the USA is trying to increase the technical capacity of its military bases in Guam.
Since 2005, B-2 strategic bombers with long-range, low-observability capable of penetrating air defense systems have been actively deployed at Andersen Base.[3] Guam is home to approximately 7,000 US soldiers. There are also 5,000 marines at the Blaz Marine Corps Facility, which relocated to Guam from Japan’s Okinawa region in 2020.[4] Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD), which will provide a security umbrella in a possible attack in the areas under the Pacific Command, are currently located in Guam. However, due to its insufficient capacity for multi-directional attacks, the establishment of a more technological defense system on the island is on the agenda.[5]
In an interview with National Defense magazine in 2020, Davidson said, “I will say that my number one priority and the most important action we can take to rapidly and fully implement the National Defense Strategy as a first step is a 360-degree persistent and integrated air-defense capability in Guam.”[6] In this context, Davidson announced that it is expected to have an active Aegis Shore Air Defense Missile System in Guam by 2026 as part of the concept called “Homeland Defense System Guam”.[7] In addition, the United States is planning to build an alternative military base on Tinian Island located 200 km from Guam, to support the military deployment in Guam and increase its capacity.[8]
The increase of the US military power in Guam also makes the region a military target. In 2016 and 2017, North Korea conducted many missile tests and achieved significant success in these tests. Having successfully tested the ballistic missile Hwasong-12 with a range of 4,500 km, the Hwasong-14 with a range of 10,000 km and the Hwasong-15 with a range of 13,000 km, North Korea poses a significant threat to Guam.[9]
In September 2020, a video was shared by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force, where nuclear-capable H-6 bombers attacked an area likened to the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. This video, which was released during the visit of a senior official from the US State Department to Taiwan, contained an important threatening message.[10] Moreover, China’s DF-26 Ballistic Missile, capable of hitting Guam and carrying nuclear warheads, is also referred to as the “Guam Killer” by Chinese media and defense experts.[11]
The fact that the USA both brings attack systems to the island and installs new generation defense systems can be considered as a preliminary preparation for a possible war situation. Because Guam is not just for the USA; It is also of strategic importance for the allies of the United States. But Guam’s militarization process has two-way envelopment. Because China is also implementing its own militarization policy against Guam strategy of the USA. As a matter of fact, the name of China’s missile capable of hitting Guam as the “Guam Killer” by the Chinese public and the video of the attack on an area that looks like Andersen Base, show the psychological break that China has experienced in the face of Guam’s increasing military capacity. Undoubtedly, in a possible conflict between the US and China in the region, the first address that China will attack in order to carry the war to US soil and destroy its military capacity will be Guam.
[1] “Guam: Small But Important Piece of US Territory in Pacific”, VOA News, https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/guam-small-important-piece-us-territory-pacific, (Accessed Date: 04.08.2021).
[2] Christopher Woody, The Pacific’s Smallest Countries are “Critical Geostrategic Ground”, Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com/pacific-islands-are-critical-geostrategic-ground-top-commander-says-2021-3, (Accessed Date: 4.08.2021).
[3] “B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber”, Airforce Technology, https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/b2/, (Accessed Date: 4.08.2021).
[4] Benjamin Brimelow, “The US Captured One of Its Most Important Military Outposts From an Enemy Who Didn’t Even Know It Was at Wa”r, Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com/how-guam-became-one-of-most-important-us-military-bases-2021-6, (Accessed Date: 05.08.2021).
[5] Mats Engman, “Larissa Stünkel, The Question of Guam: A Pivotal Island’s Changing Realities”, The Institute for Security and Development Policy, https://isdp.eu/content/uploads/2020/12/The-Question-of-Guam-IB-18.12.20.pdf, (Accessed Date: 05.08.2021).
[6] Mandy Mayfield, “Commander Wants Aegis Ashore Funding to Defend Guam”, National Defense, https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2020/7/21/commander-asks-for-guam-aegis-ashore-funding, (Accessed Date: 05.08.2021).
[7] Ibid.
[8] Tyler Rogoway, “Air Force To Build Alternate Airbase On Tinian Island in Case Guam Gets Knocked Out”, The Drive, https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/37885/air-force-to-build-alternate-airbase-on-tinian-island-in-case-guam-gets-knocked-out, (Accessed Date: 05.08.2021
[9] Bruce Klingner, “2021 Index Of U.S. Military Strenght”, The Heritage Foundation, s. 305-308
[10] “China Air force Video Appears to Show Simulated Attack on U.S. Base on Guam”, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-usa-security-idUSKCN26C0EI, (Accessed Date: 05.08.2021).
[11] Jack Kilbride, “China Mobilises DF-26 Ballistic Missiles Capable of Sinking US Warships in The South China Sea”, ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-10/china-mobilises-ballistic-missiles-capable-of-sinking-us-ships/10705594, (Accessed Date: 05.08.2021).
