US Planning to Reclaim World War II-era Airfield in Pacific Island to Counter China

Personnel with the 60th Air Mobility Wing prepare to leave Travis Air Force Base on an emergency rescue mission to the Pacific coast of Russia, in Fairfield, Calif., on Aug. 5, 2005. David W. Cushman/U.S. Air Force via Getty Images

The United States is planning to reclaim the Pacific island airfield—used for launching atomic bomb attacks on Japan during World War II—to counter communist China’s threat in the region, according to an Air Force general.

Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), said the United States would increase construction efforts at the Tinian North Airfield, an island near Guam that hosted the largest B-29 bomber fleet during World War II.

“If you pay attention in the next few months, you will see significant progress, especially at Tinian North,” Mr. Wilsbach said in an interview with Nikkei Asia on Dec. 17.

Mr. Wilsbach said the U.S. military is clearing out the overgrown jungle “between now and summertime,” and the airstrip will turn into “an extensive facility” once the construction work is finished.

The PACAF commander did not specify the timeline for when the airfield will be operational again.

Tinian Island, situated around 1,500 miles south of Tokyo, is one of the three islands in the Northern Marianas. It served as the operational base from which bombers flew missions to Japan during the Second World War.

PACAF Strategy 2030

On Sept. 11, Mr. Wilsbach released the “PACAF Strategy 2030: Evolving Airpower,” outlining four priorities for the Pacific—including enhancing war-fighting advantage, advancing theater posture, strengthening alliances and partnerships, and shaping the information environment.

The strategy ensures “the commands’ 46,000 Airmen and civilians continue to evolve competence in areas such as agile combat employment, maritime strike, multi-capable Airmen, resilient basing, information and intelligence sharing, and contested logistics.”

Mr. Wilsbach said PACAF will become an “evolving airpower” that will set “the pace to preserve peace and, if necessary, fight and win.”

“We understand the challenges inherent to generating airpower in contested environments, recognizing it is fundamentally different than projecting power from safe-haven bases,” he said at a press briefing.

“Therefore, we embrace the acceleration of change, leveraging innovation to benefit the United States and our many allies and partners,” the commander added.

The document outlines the strategic environment of the Indo-Pacific. It expands on the U.S. strategic competitors and “how they attempt to undermine the rule-based international order through coercive actions,” according to the U.S. Air Force.

“If deterrence fails, PACAF will be ready to fight. These operational priorities reflect the urgency to accelerate change to meet the challenges of this decisive decade,” the strategy states.

The Biden administration has prioritized engagement with the Pacific island nations as part of its Indo-Pacific Strategy, although the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims that the effort is meant to contain its rise on the global stage.

Reclaiming Tinian is seen as a strategic response from the United States to counter the CCP’s influence in the Pacific. China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands last year, which many countries fear could allow Beijing to station troops, weapons, and naval ships on the island.

Peter Kenilorea Jr., a Solomon Islands member of parliament and chair of its Foreign Relations Committee, said on Oct. 30 that the CCP has increasingly infiltrated the nation since Manasseh Sogavare assumed the office of prime minister again in 2019.

“That infiltration has just gotten stronger. It’s a battle of hearts and minds, really. That’s what’s happening in the Solomon Islands right now,” Mr. Kenilorea said in an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times.

“It’s more than just the government. It’s actually going through to the people themselves. ... [It’s] what we term locally in the Solomon Islands as ‘the switch,’” he added.

That “switch” refers to Mr. Sogavare’s decision in 2019 to withdraw the nation’s diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in favor of China.

Mr. Kenilorea said the CCP-backed Sogavare administration has sought to tarnish the idea of an “Indo-Pacific” on the international stage, going so far as to remove the phrase from public documents.

Andrew Thornebrooke contributed to this report.