Proposed Missile Defense System for Guam

By Gerry Doyle

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A proposed multibillion-dollar missile defense system for Guam has been reduced to 16 sites on the island from the original 22, according to a draft environmental impact statement released by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency on Friday.

The project aims to create "360 degree" protection for the U.S. Pacific territory against missile and air attacks. Plans include integrating Raytheon's SM-6, SM-3 Block IIA, Lockheed Martin's THAAD, and the Patriot PAC-3, utilizing components from both companies, over approximately 10 years.

The environmental impact study, which started last year and included a public comment period this year, proposes "deploying and operating and maintaining a combination of integrated components for air and missile defense positioned on 16 sites". However, the report does not explain the reduction in the number of sites.

All 16 remaining sites are located on U.S. military property. This project is crucial for the U.S. and its Indo-Pacific allies, as it serves as a logistical hub located closer to China than Hawaii.

China possesses a significant conventional ballistic missile inventory, including the DF-26, capable of reaching approximately 4,000 km (2,500 miles) and equipped to carry anti-ship and nuclear warheads. Newer developed weapons, like the hypersonic glide vehicle DF-27, are gaining attention from U.S. military strategists.

"It’s a forward operating base for long-range bombers, and a port for ships, so that navy ships can sally forth from there," stated Peter Layton, a defense and aviation expert at the Griffith Asia Institute in Australia. "Certainly places in Japan and the Philippines are a lot closer (to China)… but a lot more exposed."

Public meetings will be held in Guam next month to discuss the findings of Friday's report.