Air Force wants to put fighters and bombers back on Guam in Pacific

[Judi Lynn]

Air Force wants to put fighters and bombers back on Guam in Pacific

ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer Tuesday, January 13, 2004



(01-13) 09:42 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

The Air Force wants to return to the Cold War-era practice of basing fighter jets and other strike and support planes on Guam, the Pacific island that is in ready striking distance of the Korean peninsula, the Air Force's top officer in the region said Tuesday.

"It's an active proposal," said Gen. William J. Begert, commander of U.S. Pacific Air Forces.

While no final decisions have been made to add air power in the Pacific, the Air Force has made the case for basing a variety of aircraft on Guam, a U.S. territory that generally welcomes an expanded military presence, he told reporters in a wide-ranging interview.

"The ability to project force from Guam is very valuable to us," Begert said.

Aircraft and other U.S. offensive forces that had been based on Guam during the Cold War were withdrawn during the 1990s defense budget cuts and drawdown of U.S. military capabilities worldwide.
(snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/01/13/national1242EST0564.DTL

"The ability to project force from Guam is very valuable to us," ?????

[La_Serpiente]

1. the military is doing a land grab here in Hawaii

they already own 1/4 of the land on the island of O'ahu, which has a population of more than 800,000 people. Guam is a territory of the US.

Unfortuneatly, the US has a very poor record in the Pacific. From the hydrogen bombing in Micronesia, to the overthrow of the sovereign Queen in Hawaii, nobody has really liked the Americans.

What I am also afraid of is that the flights between Guam and Hawaii will be frequent since we have major military installations here. If that happens, Brown Tree Snakes, which have devastated the ecosystem in Guam, will destroy the fragile Hawaiian ecosystem. They get into the planes landing gear and then exit when the plane lands.

[Judi Lynn]

Heard about them on "60 Minutes"

A father discovered one trying to swallow his infant's hand in Guam.

The program ended saying Hawaii was trying desperately to get rid of them after they arrived on planes from Guam.

Were they removed after that first round? I can't believe you'd have to go through that all over again.

[La_Serpiente]

3. No

they are the permanent residents of Guam (or so I have heard). It is beyond extermanation for them. The only thing Hawaii can do is contain the problem by checking planes coming from there and/or check them while in Guam.

However, whether the military will check the planes or not, I am not sure.

[Judi Lynn]

4. "60 Minutes" says they are BAD news. Real shame. n/t

[The Sushi Bandit]

5. They are doing the same on the Big Island

trying to increase the size of their upcountry base.
This has to STOP!!

[aquart]

2. Oh. Really. Why?