US media: The US military plans to restart the northern airport on Tinian Island.
According to a report by CNN on the 22nd, the U.S. Air Force confirmed that the U.S. military will restart a western Pacific island airport that was used to drop atomic bombs on Japan during World War II. According to the U.S. Air Force's fiscal year 2024 budget request, $78 million has been requested for the rebuilding project.
U.S. forces are clearing the bush
According to the report, Wilsbach, commander of the US Pacific Air Force Command, revealed in an interview with Nikkei Asia magazine a few days ago that the US military is stepping up the reopening of the northern airport on Tinian Island, which has been covered by dense jungle since it was abandoned. Wilsbach said the U.S. military is clearing the jungle and that the Northern Airfield reopening project will see significant progress in the coming months.
During World War II, the airfield was used for bomber takeoffs and landings
Tinian is located about 160 kilometers north of Guam and is geostrategically located. During World War II, Tinian was a U.S. air base, and it was from Tinian that U.S. B-29 bombers carrying atomic bombs took off to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. After the end of World War II, the base was abandoned. As early as September this year, some US media reported that the US Air Force was seeking to build more airfields in the western Pacific region and rebuild old airfields from World War II.
Analysts believe that the reopening of the Tinian North airfield will be part of the US Air Force's "agile combat operation" concept, which will ease the defensive pressure by dispersing the strategic layout and at the same time provide more options for operational command. The rebuilt Tinian North Airfield will support operations at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in the Western Pacific.
The U.S. Air Force has requested funding for the project in its budget for the new fiscal year
The U.S. Air Force's fiscal year 2024 budget request shows that $78 million has been requested for the Tinian rebuilding project.
Against the backdrop of great power competition in the United States, the National Defense Authorization Act for the new fiscal year pays close attention to the Asia-Pacific region, authorizing a $14.7 billion budget for the so-called "Pacific Deterrence Initiative," focusing on strengthening the military capabilities and defense capabilities of Hawaii and Guam, as well as deeper cooperation with allies.
Source: CCTV4 "Global Today"