Military growth anticipated in Guam
by Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
9/20/2004 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFPN) -- With President Bush dubbing the 21st century "the Pacific century," Guam is expected to become increasingly important to U.S. military operations, officials here told visiting civilian leaders Sept. 17.
Both Andersen Air Force Base in the north and Naval Base Guam in the south anticipate big growth within the next several years, capitalizing on Guam's prime strategic location, its pro-military population, and its status as a U.S. territory.
Col. P.K. White, 36th Air Expeditionary Wing commander here, told participants in the secretary of defense's Joint Civilian Orientation Conference that all signs point to major growth for the U.S. military in Guam.
Strategically located more than 3,000 miles southwest of Hawaii, Andersen AFB offers what Colonel White calls three major attractions: ramp space, green space and airspace.
The base's 7.5 million square feet of ramp space provides "a lot of room to put a lot of airplanes to do a lot of things," he said.
In addition, Colonel White said Andersen features extensive open space to support future growth.
"There's a ton of room here to put a lot of new infrastructure," he said.
The Air Force anticipates investing $1 billion to $2 billion into Andersen AFB within the next five to 10 years, said Col. Steve Wolborsky, 36th AEW vice commander. This, he said, reflects recognition of Andersen as "the most significant U.S. Air Force base in the Pacific region for this century."
Another one of Andersen's primary attractions is its access to airspace -- an access that continues to shrink in the continental United States, Europe, South Korea and Japan, Colonel White said.
"You need airspace to train the way you're going to fight," he said. "And you can find it here."
Already, Guam features a wide range of military assets, including the Air Force's largest fuel supply in the United States and its largest supply of weapons in the Pacific.
Perhaps the most compelling reason for increasing the U.S. military presence in Guam is the fact that it offers a slice of America in one of the world's most strategic locations, said Maj. Gen. Dennis R. Larsen, 13th Air Force commander here. This, he said, gives military planners and operators far more leeway in conducting operations than they typically find at overseas bases.
"It lets us deploy forces to here and (use) forces from here with a lot fewer restrictions than in any other part of the world," Colonel Wolborsky said.
Colonel White invited conference participants to return to Guam in a few years to see the changes.
"It's been said that Andersen will be the key Air Force base for the 21st century, and I believe it," he said. "This region of the world is very important, and it's a critical time in the future of this base."
While visiting Guam during a weeklong trip through the Pacific to observe U.S. military operations, the civilian leaders witnessed some of the current operations taking place on the island.
At Andersen AFB, group members met the crew and climbed aboard one of six B-52H Stratofortress bombers deployed for a four-month rotation from Barksdale AFB, La. B-52s from Barksdale and Minot AFB, N.D., began regular deployments to Guam in February -- a significant step since the last permanently based B-52s left Guam in 1991, Colonel White said.
General Larsen told the visitors the activities they observed -- and plans for the future still on the drawing board -- will contribute to Guam's role in U.S. defense.
"Our primary job is to be ready for any crisis," he said. "If we do this right, we can continue to help provide security and maintain peace in this region." |
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