In December it was learned that the United States had carried out a curious test. In essence, He had shot herself a missile To see if he was able to neutralize it. That rare Avis took place in an “unbalanced territory” of the nation, on the island of Guam. A Pacific Strategic Eat whose geographical situation makes it “nuclear” objective. And if Guam does not work out, now we know that a plan B is ready.
Strategic rebirth. The United States Company Planet Labswho monitor the possible changes and evolutions throughout the planet via satellite, has compiled a series of images that leave no doubt and ranging from December 2023 to January of this year. The historic North Field, on the island of Tinian, has just completely rehabilitated after having remained abandoned for more than 75 years.
Originally built during World War II To launch the sad b-29 bombings About Japan, including The missions that took the atomic bombs to Hiroshima and Nagasakithe airfield clearly points to a reconstruction to become a key piece of the United States military strategy in the Indo-Pacific region.
The images obtained show the complete progress in the restoration of 2,000 square meters of tracks, filming streets and other key infrastructure. Apparently, grid -shaped design, Inspired by Manhattan, New York, complicates enemy attacks by distributing strategic assets in a pattern difficult to neutralize with a single blow.
Tinian: A key node. As we said, Tinian, currently part of the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands of the Northit is located about 200 km northeast of Guam, which makes it a strategic point to support US air operations in the Pacific. In fact and as we explain at the beginning, with the modernization of its airport, the Tinian International, and the expansion of its facilities, the island now offers a viable alternative in case the base Andersen in Guam be attacked or unused.
There is talk of Several projects underway which include the expansion of tracking and streets, new fuel deposits in the main port of the island, the construction of a large parking platform for aircraft and the modernization of infrastructure for joint military operations between the Navy and the Air Force of USA.
Tinian location, on the left, with Guam directly to the south. Wake Island, in the center, and Hawaii, on the right, are also marked
Of abandonment to military avant -garde. We do not talk about one more place, of course. During World War II, North Field was the world’s largest air basewith four tracks almost 3 km long, sufficient space to house more than 500 B-29 bombers and an endowment of 40,000 troops.
After the war, The base was abandoned in 1947 and remained inactive for a long time. In the 2000s and 2010, the Air Force carried out minor works to use one of its tracks in operations exercises on austere lands, but It was not until 2023 that the decision was made to recover the entire base as part of the strategy of the called as Agile Fuat Employment (ACE).
AGILE COMBAT EMPLOYMENT: DISUNICATION BEFORE CHINA. Ace doctrine is based on The Air Force capacity to deploy forces quickly and flexible in improvised or remote bases, reducing their vulnerability to enemy attacks. North Field’s rehabilitation is part of this plan, allowing Military aircraft can operate from multiple locationsinstead of depending on fixed bases such as Andersen in Guam, which would be a priority objective in a conflict with China.
Not just that. In addition, the Navy and the Air Force have implemented measures to disperse and hide strategic assetshindering the planning and execution of enemy attacks. In this regard, A recent report by Hudson Institute He pointed out that China could disable entire bases with only 10 missiles Loaded with submunitions, which makes the diversification of aerodromes such as Tinian fundamental for operational survival in a high intensity conflict.
Rehabilitation and bunkers. While other countries, including China, seem to be strengthening its bases with bunkerized structuresthe United States Air Force has opted for a different strategy: not hardening bases, but make them more mobile and scattered.
That said, There is a debate In the country on whether this strategy is the most appropriate in front of a rival like China, a nation that He has developed a missile arsenal precision capable of attacking bases throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
Expanding versatility. It is the last of the legs that is understood after the progress. The Modernization of North Field It will also allow the operation of aircraft with capabilities Vertical or short landing (Stovl)as The F-35b of the Marines Corps. This type of aircraft can operate on improvised and remote tracks, increasing the flexible attack capacity of the United States in the region.
In addition, the use of Mobile braking and electromagnetic catapult systems (EMALS) in land bases is also being evaluatedwhich would facilitate the operation of combat aircraft in airfields with shorter and fixed aircraft carrier infrastructure.
Therefore, the recovery of the base in Tinian represents, a priori, a key piece in the new military architecture of Washington in the Pacific. Its rehabilitation offers greater operational flexibility, a possible Plan b To Guam, and complicates the enemy attack capacity while reinforcing the asset dispersion strategy in the region.
Image | Planet Labs
In Xataka | The United States fears that China’s long -range missiles will reach Guam. So he just launched one himself