U.S. Department of Defense:



There’s no time to spare when it comes to getting the tools in place to defend Guam — a U.S. territory, home to 168,000 Americans, and a centerpiece of America’s defensive abilities in the Pacific region.

“Guam represents the region’s most critical node for not just command and control but also logistics and for our power projection,” Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Sklenka, the deputy commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said during a conversation Monday with the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. “It’s key terrain and it enables the success of our operational framework and its strategic importance can’t be overstated.”

Right now, he said, the Defense Department has committed about $11 billion in funding for military construction projects on Guam over the next five years, and that will help ensure Guam remains a place from which the U.S. military can fight, if needed, in the Indo-Pacific region…

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