US to harden Guam against Chinese attack
The US is seeking to station Aegis Ashore on Guam, its westernmost territory, by 2026. The purpose is to give ballistic missile protection for the strategically important island against possible attack by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
A US Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery has been located on Andersen Air Force Base on Guam since 2013, but it is primarily oriented against ballistic missiles launched by North Korea.
Aegis Ashore would comprise part of what the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) is calling Homeland Defense System Guam. Adm Phil Davidson, INDOPACOM’s head, told media on 21 July that
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