According to the United States**, the U.S. military is massively expanding the Tinian airfield located in the western Pacific region. This news has aroused widespread concern and discussion in society, and also reflects the military strategy and intentions of the US military in the western Pacific region. Tinian, also known as Tinian Island, is located east of the Philippine Islands, south of the Japanese archipelago, and about 160 kilometers north of **, and is one of the four cities of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (U.S. Overseas Self-Governing States). With an area of 102 square kilometers, it is the third largest island in the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean. The island has a beautiful natural environment and perfect service facilities, which has attracted many tourists in recent years.
Before World War II, Tinian was under Japanese control. In 1944, after the U.S. military captured the island, it expanded the air base on the island that could take off and land B-29 bombers. This led to frequent long-range bombing of the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Japanese mainland, which led to a major shift in the Pacific theater of World War II. In 1945, the two atomic bombs dropped by the U.S. military on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were also loaded and taken off from Tinian. After the end of World War II, the focus of the U.S. military defense shifted to the south of Tinian. Andersen Air Force Base became the command center and the most important forward base of the US Strategic Air Force in the Western Pacific. The Tinian airbase was gradually abandoned. In 2003, the U.S. military returned to Tinian and renovated the island's airfield, making Tinian a training base for the U.S. military. At the end of 2016, the U.S. military began to expand the Tinian airport, and has been increasing the pace of expansion recently.
According to the U.S. military's assumptions, in the event that Andersen Air Force Base becomes unusable due to an attack or a natural disaster, Tinian Airport will provide support for those aircraft that are diverted. By improving the island's infrastructure and military installations, it is also possible to build bases on the island that can accommodate both temporary deployment of troops and military attacks. The expansion is expected to accommodate 12 air tankers and will host military exercises for up to eight weeks a year.
Analysts believe that the US military's practice of expanding island bases in the western Pacific region to strengthen its military presence has the following purposes and impacts:
The first is to respond to China's rise and challenges in the Western Pacific. The United States has always regarded the Western Pacific region as its important strategic interest and sphere of influence, and is unwilling to see China's military and economic power in the region increase, especially its position and actions on sovereignty and security issues in sensitive waters such as the South China Sea and the East China Sea. The resumption of the Tinian airport by the US military is aimed at enhancing its military presence and deterrence capabilities in the western Pacific region to deal with possible military conflicts and crises.
The second is to implement the military strategy of "distributed strikes" and "agile combat deployment". The U.S. military believes that large military bases in the western Pacific region, such as Andersen Air Force Base, will face risks and threats, and may be destroyed or paralyzed in the early stages of the war, thus affecting the combat capability and efficiency of the U.S. military. Therefore, the US military has put forward the military strategy of "distributed strike" and "agile combat deployment", that is, by establishing multiple small, flexible, and covert forward bases in the western Pacific region, in order to disperse risks, improve survivability, increase strike capabilities, and achieve rapid deployment and mobile operations. The restart of the Tinian airport by the U.S. military is to realize this strategy, make Tinian a backup of the world, and provide more choices and opportunities for the U.S. military.
The third is to maintain and consolidate its allies and partnerships in the Western Pacific. The United States has always regarded its allies and partners in the Western Pacific region, such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines, as important pillars and partners of interest in the region, and has continuously strengthened military cooperation and security guarantees with them to maintain its leadership and influence in the region. The U.S. military reopened the Tinian airport to demonstrate its military commitment and capabilities in the Western Pacific to its allies and partners in order to boost their confidence and trust.