The governor of the Northern Mariana Islands says an $800m US military upgrade plan which includes a new airfield in the Pacific territory “has to happen” amid concern over China’s recent missile tests in the region.
Tinian, home to about 3,500 people, is one of the three main islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated US territory. During the second world war, the US launched a nuclear bomb against Japan from Tinian, and now a major rehabilitation of a deserted airfield and other military upgrades are under way on the island.
The development is part of a broader strategy by Washington to beef up its Indo-Pacific security presence amid growing tensions in the region.
“The world is changing in the Indo-Pacific and we need to acknowledge that. We need to face reality,” said Arnold Palacios, governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, who added the defence base development on Tinian “has to happen”.
“That needs to happen with the way the situation is,” he told the Guardian.
“Do I wish that we don’t have to have military bases? I think everybody in this world would like to see peace, but the best deterrent is to have a good defense and to be prepared.”
Palacios pointed to concerns over China’s recent missile test over the Pacific Ocean and deployment of forces around the waters of Taiwan.
“That’s the first chain of violence. We’re the second chain of violence. If something happens, we will be impacted,” he said.
It is not yet clear how the incoming Trump administration will adjust Biden’s Indo-Pacific strategy, but recent appointments have suggested a hawkish policy towards China. The Indo-Pacific plan, released in 2022, seeks to strengthen the position of the US in the region amid a “changing strategic landscape”, specifically the “mounting challenge” posed by China.
Located about 2,414km (1,500 miles) south of Tokyo, Tinian has an area of 101 sq km (39 sq miles). During the second world war, it served as a base for B-29 Superfortress bombers that took part in the bombing of Tokyo in March 1945 and the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
Tinian is known in the region for its pristine beaches, cattle ranches and hot peppers, which grow abundantly throughout the island. It is dotted with historical sites that attract tourists interested in the second world war.
Over the next few years, the US Department of Defense plans to invest close to $800m in Tinian to build up defense operations. Work began in 2022 and the first phase of the project, which includes the updated runway, is due to be completed in 2025.
The US air force is restoring over 1.85m sq metres (20m sq feet) of degraded pavement to create “a rejuvenated runway”, said Lt Cmdr Michelle Tucker, spokesperson for the Joint Task Force-Micronesia. The taskforce is a newly formed command overseeing military operations in the Pacific.
Tucker said air force engineers are conducting “rehabilitation work” on Tinian to allow the US to “rapidly deploy and sustain forces in diverse environments”.
Neighbouring island Guam is at the core of the US military’s Indo-Pacific strategy and home to air force, naval and marine bases. Tucker said the Northern Marianas Islands are part of the US and “critical to US defense and power projection across the region”.
Given Tinian’s strategic location, Tucker said the island is considered a backup site to “meet mission requirements” for the US military to support bases in Guam or other Pacific locations.
“The construction work on Tinian is part of a broader initiative to expand facilities and general port and airport options throughout the Indo-Pacific region,” Tucker said.
The US is leasing two-thirds of the land on Tinian for defense and military development. In addition to the $384m airport rehabilitation project, the defense department has also contracted $409m for operations and training developments including equipment, facilities and other related projects to support the military on the island. The defense department also plans to build a training site for combat skills on Tinian.
Tucker said a proposed military training complex will include multiple ranges, landing zones and base camps to provide service members realistic joint combat training in a tropical environment.
The US is also exploring possibilities for waterfront and wharf improvements at Tinian harbour berths “to accommodate various navy vessels”, Tucker said.
Michael Walsh, visiting researcher at the Lasky Center for Transatlantic Studies at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, said it made sense for the US military to build up its capability on Tinian as part of a “network” across the region.
“What is planned has the potential of being very valuable in terms of strategic signalling and deterrence effect,” he said, while also noting it “could also be easily neutralised by China in the event of the outbreak of a major confrontation”.
Palacios said defense development on Tinian is needed in the current environment.
“We hope that things will get dialled down and everybody finally figures out that we need to all get along in the region. We cannot afford to be afraid.”
