Free Republic

TOKYO — When it comes to regional security, many Western Pacific nations like the idea of thousands of U.S. Marines permanently stationed close by. As long as they are not too close. As part of a complex plan to reduce the sprawling American military presence on the Japanese island of Okinawa, U.S. officials approached Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and Australia about the possibility of hosting permanent new American military bases. All four said no. That left tiny Guam, which for more than six decades has served as a reliable American staging point during wars and an often-forgotten port and air...

More than 240 Airmen assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron, Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., arrived on Andersen recently to support the deployment of B-2 Spirit aircraft as part of the continuous bomber presence here. The Airmen and aircraft replaced the service members and the B-52 Stratofortresses deployed from the 20th Bomb Squadron, Barksdale AFB, La. Andersen AFB has had bombers present on its runway since 2004, the year the CBP mission began. The B-2's stealth characteristics give it the unique ability to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most valued and heavily defended targets. The bomber's...

Fifteen F-22 Raptors are scheduled to deploy to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, in January 2010 for approximately three months. The fighters and associated personnel will deploy from the 90th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. The deployment supports U.S. Pacific Command's theater security packages in the Western Pacific and follows the recent departure from the theater of two deployed squadrons of F-22s that also were supporting U.S. PACOM's TSP. The fighters and personnel deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, and Kadena Air Base, Japan, completed their redeployment in October 2009. The F-22 is a transformational combat aircraft that can avoid...

GUAM - Despite taking some time to adjust to a totally different climate that challenged them to work extra hard to do their best and challenged maintainers to keep aircraft operational, deployed airmen from Alaska's Elmendorf Air Force Base and their fleet of $140 million F-22 Raptors performed above and beyond expectation with their 36th Wing counterparts stationed at Andersen Air Force Base. As Guam News Factor reported on October 5, heavy rains on Guam caused electronics problems on the visiting Raptors during their temporary basing on island. The Air Force Times had reported that crews at Elmendorf Air Force...

9:40 p.m. Guam - Air Force officials are investigating the collision of a B-1 Bomber with emergency vehicles on the taxiway up at Andersen Air Force Base. Air Force Spokesman Capt. Joel Stark confirms that the B-1 Bomber was in transit from Singapore to Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota and had landed at AAFB for an inflight emergency. Capt. Stark couldn't disclose what the emergency was but did say the B-1 Bomber apparently had rolled while on the taxiway and collided into the vehicles just after 12 p.m. Friday. Capt. Stark says there were no injuries since the crew...

Andersen Air Force Base public affairs spokesman Tech Sergeant Mike Boquette confirms that a B-1 bomber slid off the runway at the Yigo base this afternoon at around noon, crashing into a group of emergency response vehicles. The military reports that there were no injuries and no fatalities as a result of the accident. This is the third incident involving the crashing of a military aircraft in less than a month. A Navy Ea-6b Prowler attached to the U.S.S. Kittyhawk strike group went down about 20 miles to the north of AAFB on February 12; and then just 11 days...

Fighting Terror War Means Making Choice Between Freedom, Fear By Kathleen T. RhemAmerican Forces Press Service TOKYO, Japan, Nov. 14, 2003 – American and other coalition military forces fighting the war on terrorism are making a choice between living in freedom and living in fear, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a crowd of service members in Guam today. Rumsfeld was visiting U.S. troops on the Western Pacific island as part of a weeklong trip through Pacific Rim countries. He arrived in Tokyo later in the day. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld speaks to troops at the Magellan Inn dining...