Fresh off of the Japanese government cancelling plans to host a pair of US Aegis Ashore missile defense systems, Admiral Philip Davidson is now saying that the US needs to fund and install their own system in Guam to counter China.
Davidson, the commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, says funding needs to start in 2021 to get it installed in five years to stay ahead of China. He said the deployment would ‘compliment’ the THAAD systems already in Guam.
Other officials emphasized the importance of Guam as a “staging point” for the US against China, and predicted it would be even more important in the years to come, potentially making it a target if a conflict breaks out.
The US looks to heavily fund missile defense systems to challenge its various regional rivals. Despite this, the systems have rarely proven real functionality in even testing environments.
US Commander: Missile Defenses Needed in Guam in Five Years
Warns defenses needed to counter China after Japan rejected plan
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
Join the Discussion!
We welcome thoughtful and respectful comments. Hateful language, illegal content, or attacks against Antiwar.com will be removed.
For more details, please see our Comment Policy.
