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U.S. Reduces Missile Defense Sites in Guam Amid Strategic Concerns

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has announced a significant change in its plans for a multibillion-dollar missile defense system in Guam, scaling back the number of proposed sites from 22 to 16, as detailed in a draft environmental impact statement released on Friday.

The initiative aims to establish comprehensive defense capabilities to protect the U.S. Pacific territory from various forms of missile and aerial threats. The proposed system plans to incorporate advanced technologies, including Raytheon’s SM-6 and SM-3 Block IIA missiles, as well as Lockheed Martin’s THAAD and the Patriot PAC-3 missile systems, over a projected timeline of approximately ten years.

This environmental impact study, initiated last year and recently opened for public commentary, outlines plans for deploying, operating, and maintaining an integrated air and missile defense system across the 16 designated sites. The reasons behind the reduction in the number of sites have not been specified in the report.

All locations are situated on U.S. military property, underscoring the project’s strategic importance. With Guam’s geographic proximity to China, which is closer than Hawaii, the defense system serves as a critical logistical hub for the U.S. and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region.

China possesses a substantial arsenal of conventional ballistic missiles, notably the DF-26, which has an estimated range of 4,000 kilometers (roughly 2,500 miles) and can deliver various warheads, including nuclear and anti-ship types. Additionally, the U.S. military has been paying increasing attention to new developments, such as the hypersonic glide vehicle DF-27.

Peter Layton, a defense and aviation specialist at the Griffith Asia Institute in Australia, emphasized Guam’s role in U.S. military strategy. “It’s a forward operating base for long-range bombers and serves as a port for naval vessels, allowing them to project power further into the region,” he explained. “While locations in Japan and the Philippines are closer to China, they also present greater vulnerabilities.”

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has scheduled public meetings in Guam next month to engage with local stakeholders regarding the recent report and to discuss the next steps in the project’s development.

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