According to the information on the theater channel of the US "Power" website, the US military is currently vigorously expanding the Tinian airport, aiming to build a large military airfield that can replace the center of the "second island chain" and Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. The main purpose is to prevent the US Pacific Air Force from being paralyzed after the Guam base is hit by Chinese missiles.
Tinian is located about 160 kilometers north of Guam and belongs to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (U.S. Overseas Self-Governing States).
The so-called island chain strategy was put forward by former US Secretary of State Dulles in 1951 and set up the so-called three island chain blockade lines. Its main purpose was to encircle and blockade the socialist countries represented by the Soviet Union and China. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, its "island chain strategy" gradually began to shift to China.
The blockade and containment of China by the United States is mainly based on the so-called "pivot to the Asia-Pacific" strategy put forward by Obama after he took office. Guam, the overseas territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean, is one of the most important military bases of the US military in the Asia-Pacific region and an important central point in its second island chain.
The first island chain originates from the western Pacific Ocean, usually refers to a chain of islands formed from the Japanese archipelago and the Ryukyu Islands in the north, Taiwan Island in the middle, and the Philippines and the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia in the south. At times, South Korea in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula is also considered part of the first island chain.
Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam is a base that the United States particularly wants to achieve the stationing and deployment of troops, so that it can form an offensive and defensive situation with the Philippine base, but it has not been able to achieve its goal. Recently, Vietnam announced that it would strengthen cooperation with the mainland in various aspects, and its conspiracy was also aborted.
The second island chain is centered on Guam and consists of the Ogasawara Islands and Iwo Islands of Japan and the Mariana Islands of the United States. During the Cold War, the rear was supported by military bases stationed in Australia, New Zealand and other countries.
The third island chain is relative to the "first island chain" and the "second island chain". It is generally believed that it is a line of defense centered on Hawaii in the United States, from the Aleutian Islands in the north to some islands in Oceania in the south.
In the first island chain, the most critical is the island of Taiwan. If the so-called first island chain of the United States is compared to a poisonous snake, Japan and South Korea are the head and neck of the poisonous snake, while Taiwan is the heart of the poisonous snake, that is, the seven-inch position. The island of Taiwan happens to be a key hub in its first island chain blockade, facing Chinese mainland.
If the United States masters this position, it is equivalent to mastering the valve of the entire island chain. As soon as this valve is closed, the entire island chain will close Chinese mainland west of the Pacific Ocean, becoming a closed semi-landlocked country.
However, with the advent of the mainland's Beidou navigation, missile range, fighter planes and the third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, and the strengthening of friendly cooperation between the mainland and Vietnam. In particular, the emergence of Beidou navigation and electronic warfare aircraft, our warships, missiles, and airplanes, etc., have been freed from the influence of the US GPS.
During the 1996 Taiwan Strait crisis, the United States turned off its GPS and used electronic warfare aircraft to jam it, which directly prevented our missiles from locking onto their targets and warships lost their direction. With the advent of our Beidou system and electronic warfare aircraft, this humiliation has become a thing of the past.
In the 2016 South China Sea crisis, after an initial confrontation, the U.S. military found that it could no longer have the upper hand. In addition, we have strengthened our deployment after building islands in the South China Sea, which is like forming seven or eight unsinkable aircraft carriers in the South China Sea. Relevant US media pointed out that in December 2016, the US Air Force officially decided to expand the Tinian airport, and the US Department of Defense signed a 40-year lease agreement with the CNMI authorities (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands).
The U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command is modernizing the airfield to accommodate more fighter jets and strategic bombers, and will be handed over to the U.S. Air Force when completed.
After the "Pelosi's visit to Taiwan" in 2022 and the "Tsai Ing-wen's visit to the United States" in 2023, in the live-fire exercise around the island launched by our military, in fact, the US aircraft carrier strike group came to "discuss". Many people may say that if there is no fire, it is not considered a discussion, at that time, the carrier-based aircraft of the US aircraft carrier strike group were all in full formation, and it was not lively outside our army's Xi.
Modern warfare begins with electronic warfare, and during the 1996 Taiwan Strait Xi, the US military used electronic warfare planes and planes to interfere with our military, so that we "could not pull out the knife." In the 2022 and 2023 rounding of the island in several live-fire exercises, our army was able to start and end on time and on time, and complete precision strikes on all predetermined targets, which is already telling. The fact that the aircraft carrier of the Perfect Army ran away without waiting for our military exercise Xi is more indicative of their knowledge that they cannot take advantage.
Obviously, the so-called first island chain of the US military has completely existed in name only. Although the Philippines is jumping up and down at the instigation of the United States, the United States is well aware that the Philippines can only play the role of a clown who jumps off the beam.
U.S. media reported that in February 2022, the U.S. military held a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion at Tinian Airport. A $161.8 million investment is planned to enhance the airport's military value through extensive renovation and expansion, and the entire project is expected to be completed by October 2025.
During World War II, Tinian was a U.S. air base. When the United States launched nuclear strikes on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan in 1945, U.S. B-29 bombers took off from Tinian Island with atomic bombs. After the end of World War II, the base was abandoned.
It is reported that with the significant improvement of China's anti-access and regional denial capabilities, especially the batch installation of China's Dongfeng-26 ballistic missiles and H-6K bombers, coupled with the rapid increase of 055 drives, the emergence of UAV formations, and even the emergence of carrier-based UAVs.
The top brass of the US military has repeatedly and publicly stated that Andersen Air Force Base in Guam has become increasingly unsafe. In addition to the planned construction of land-based anti-island and sea-based anti-missile interception systems on Guam, an alternative to Andersen Air Force Base is also being actively sought. The renovation of Tianning Airport, which is more than 160 kilometers away from the Guam base, is one of the important tasks.
The US media pointed out that the airport renovation work includes the construction of new fuel storage facilities and pipelines connecting the airport at the main port at the southern tip of Tinian, as well as various related road improvements. The U.S. military has used the airports in Tinian and Saipan for Xi and training in order to play their military value in various emergency situations.
It is reported that the US Air Force also plans to deploy at least 12 large tanker planes at Tinian Airport to support the long-distance attack missions of its fighters and strategic bombers. Pictured below is a U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet at Tinian International Airport during a Xi.
At present, Andersen Air Force Base in Guam is the largest air base of the US Air Force in the Asia-Pacific region, and it is also its most important forward base and supply base in the Asia-Pacific region. At the same time, it is also the most important strategic bomber permanent base of the US military in the Asia-Pacific region.
The base is home to the U.S. Air Force 13th Air Force Command, and is home to the 36th Air Force Base Wing and other related units. B-52H, B-1B, and B-2A series strategic bombers are deployed, as well as F-22 "Raptor" stealth fighters, as well as air tankers, reconnaissance aircraft, and heavy transport aircraft.
In addition, there are large stockpiles of air-launched cruise missiles and precision-guided munitions. At its limit, the base can accommodate about 150 strategic bombers. Previously, the US Air Force had always used Guam as the main advance base for strategic bombers to the Asia-Pacific region. According to the US military, strategic bombers departing from bases in Guam can strike any country in the Asia-Pacific region within 12 hours.
U.S. Army Andersen Air Force Base, Guam
It is worth mentioning that in mid-September this year, the United States, together with South Korea and Canada, held a joint military exercise in the Yellow Sea region, and claimed that the military exercise lasted for half a month. The border of this military exercise is less than 21 nautical miles from Qingdao, which is the closest thing to Qingdao, which is obviously a naked provocation to the mainland.
However, on the same day, the mainland's Shandong aircraft carrier formation suddenly appeared near Guam. Many netizens should know about the People's Liberation Army's "closing the door and beating dogs" in the Yellow Sea, the US military originally planned to conduct a 15-day military exercise, but it slipped away in 5 hours.
This incident has made the US military clearly aware that in the entire western Pacific region, it seems that they have completely lost their advantage over the PLA. And the occurrence of this incident will inevitably make the United States even more restless. It is estimated that the US military is thinking that after the destruction of Andersen Airport in Guam, the US Air Force can also use Tinian Airport to maintain front-line operations.
As early as September, there were media reports that Mark Milley, the top general of the US military, confirmed that he was considering adjusting the deployment of some US troops stationed in Japan and South Korea, and that the US military was likely to change the location of some US troops stationed in the Asia-Pacific region, and it was not ruled out that some US troops stationed in Japan and South Korea would withdraw.
In the past two days, the "Eurasian Times" reported that the US Air Force will next cancel the rotation deployment of F-22 and F-35 stealth combat at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. In other words, all fifth-generation fighter jets deployed by the U.S. military within the first island chain will be withdrawn. It didn't take long for only F-16EX heavy fighters to be left at the U.S. military base.
The withdrawal of US troops from the first island chain means that the Taiwan independence separatist forces and Guopanjia will become "outcasts". Some people call Guopan an "Asian outcast" and say that Vietnam is announcing active cooperation and that it wants to engage in confrontation. As some people on Taiwan Island said, the Philippines is like a grasshopper bouncing in front of a big rooster in front of Chinese mainland!
On the cross-strait issue, I think Mr. Jie Wen-chie, a former member of Taiwan's foreign affairs department, reminded him very clearly when he talked to some people on Taiwan. China will inevitably be reunified, and the Taiwanese have the blood of the Chinese. If they give up being Chinese, the legal consequence is to permanently give up the opportunity to inherit the more than 9.6 million square kilometers of land and vast sea areas left by their ancestors.
According to Jiewenji, it is very foolish to give up the huge inheritance left by his ancestors. Therefore, he hoped that the Taiwan people would not only strive to maintain cross-strait peace, but also actively move in the direction of peaceful reunification, so that they could participate in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and embark on a broad road, so that future generations of the Taiwan people would have a future.
At the same time, he also said that in the face of such a great motherland, the Taiwanese do not actively embrace it, but instead worship Japan, Kazakhstan and South Korea, which is an extremely deformed and pathological manifestation. Speaking from the bottom of our hearts, it is a blessing for the Taiwan compatriots that there are such sober-minded people in Taiwan.
Here, I also hope that the Taiwan compatriots can see the general trend clearly, sober up as soon as possible, and not make unwise and stupid choices!