Fortress Guam: How & Why the U.S. Military is Strengthening the Island

Guam is poised to be of utmost importance for the US military in any possible confrontation with China .

As China 's power rises, US assets and facilities close to China are at increased risk of being overwhelmed by Chinese strikes.

Unlike Okinawa , Guam is sufficiently far away from China that only a fraction of Chinese missile arsenal could reach it.

Guam is partially protected by its distance from China for naval purposes.

It's perhaps optimally positioned supplying US fleets in the Southwest Pacific for air purposes.

The distance that protects it also makes US power projection weaker.

China 's mainland bases in Japan and the Philippines are better positioned for that, but if bombers are used, the distance to China would be trivial.

THAD is getting a little behind the times and may be a stopgap measure until enough SM6 missiles and new glide phase interceptor missiles come online.

SM6 is part of Aegis and will likely be plentiful in land based launchers peppered around the island.

It's good against aircraft and to an extent against hypersonic gliders, but the real improvement will come with a glide phase Interceptor missile.