Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

deploy strategic bombers in Guam, the U.S. military

newspaper correspondent Tian Jianwei

on the world map, but Guam is a looming black spots. Can order it at the history of the United States and Spain, the Japanese war, and plans to 2014, the ten thousand Marines from Okinawa moved here, to build the Western Pacific “second island chain” of military core. However, the United States, “Defense News” website on April 5 has reported that U.S. military bases in Guam many years of painstaking efforts, probably because of volcanic activity to a standstill.

U.S. military bases in the Philippines who have been destroyed

According to reports by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Southern Methodist University, led the joint team, being a two-year research aimed at improving early-warning system for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands unusual geographical phenomena monitoring. Senior Fellow, Singapore Management University, said Margaret Allen, volcano forecasting research could help improve the safety of U.S. military bases, “the technology used to detect nuclear explosions, will now take the lead for monitoring the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam in the vicinity active volcano. ”

the research project’s chief scientist, James Quirk said that only in March this year, they are in the Northern Mariana Islands in the three monitoring devices installed in the island, where there are active volcanoes there are nine islands , “based on historical experience, occur on average once every five years, a volcanic eruption.” But Quaker that, with the Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption in the Philippines in 1991, leading the U.S. Clark Air Base and the surrounding facilities, compared to the destruction of the disaster, the threat of volcanic Guam is not so direct.

U.S. Iowa State University professor Mark Reagan, said Guam’s own eruption is unlikely to occur, “but around undersea volcanic eruption triggered a tsunami, and volcano on the neighboring islands of volcanic ash will loss of use value that the U.S. military base. “Reagan points out that most, 300 km north of Guam, Ana Ta Han volcano eruption in 2005, has led to Guam’s Andersen Air Force Base closed for two months. Meanwhile, underwater volcanic eruptions near Guam still no rules to follow, as the U.S. nuclear submarines and surface ships in these waters become more frequent training and duty, they also face the possibility of increased risk, these are the military should pay attention to problems.

“sleepy valley” is recovering

Vietnam War, Guam’s military value was ignored, it hence the name “sleeping valley.” However, according to the U.S. “Foreign Policy” magazine website data, taking into account the ballistic missile as the representative of China’s “anti-intervention” combat forces increasingly growing, increasingly attention in recent years in the U.S. “safe distance” Guam’s strategic value, it look into the 21st century is to deal with security threats (China, alluding to a potential rival) one of the points. Currently, the U.S. military base in Guam is in a “major demolition and construction” stage, where the forces were to be sent to re-deploy.

Guam once again with the security system was pushed to the forefront of the United States, its mission has evolved into four parts: deterrence, combat, counter-terrorism and anti-piracy, humanitarian assistance. And the Pacific region compared to other bases, Guam’s geographical advantage is obvious: it is entirely the territory of the United States, both to provide strategic depth, but also as a gathering force of the fortress. Calculations show that a deployed U.S. submarines in Guam within 48 hours to arrive in the Taiwan Strait, the deployment of submarines in Pearl Harbor takes about six days, the submarine in San Diego will need more than 8 days. At the same time, the U.S. Navy as an aircraft carrier in Guam will be leaving berth, it does not have to return to Hawaii or the U.S. West Coast to accept maintenance or supplies.

as Guam to the United States House of Representative Robert Underwood said: “In the enhanced power of the United States, the world could not find like this can play a greater role in Guam’s place … it inestimable strategic value. “Thus, the U.S. action in Guam, are often regarded as the benchmark of its foreign strategy.

distance advantages not eternal security

achievements of the geographical and environmental factors Guam’s strategic position, but also to U.S. soldiers stationed in bringing multiple risk. Set aside regardless of volcanic activity, due to Guam in the so-called “Typhoon Alley”, how to ensure that key facilities are not always destroyed by the typhoon to make the U.S. a headache. U.S. Air Force officials have acknowledged that once the typhoon hit, environmentally sensitive aircraft was evacuated to Japan or Okinawa or Hawaii, which greatly reduced the value to the combat readiness of Guam. At the same time, excessive force assembled to Guam, will make this tiny building site stock quickly fell to the bottom, the future development will be minimal.

more importantly, Guam, the U.S. military superiority is not always rely on the distance to ensure their own safety. U.S. think tank, “Jamestown Foundation,” a report published earlier this year, said the rapid growth of China’s ballistic missile and cruise missile forces, already cover the “second island chain” capability, therefore, China has the ability to Guam from a “rear” base into a long-range precision strike may be aimed at the target. For U.S. policy makers, the consequences of this change is obvious: Once the PLA launched intensive missile attack, Guam will not be as in the past, the Asia-Pacific U.S. troops continue to play a perfect haven.