US upgrades defensive ‘buffer’ in Pacific as China’s military capabilities increase
- Satellite images show work on the remote base on Wake Island, which could play a key defensive role in event of conflict in the western Pacific
- China now has missiles capable of targeting the defences on Guam and striking the continental United States
The United States is planning to upgrade its facilities on a remote outpost in the western Pacific as a military fallback, satellite images suggest.
The images taken by US-based Planet Labs show how existing infrastructure on Wake Island – an incorporated territory between Guam and Hawaii that is run by the US Air Force – is being improved and new facilities are being built.
The island could also host vital anti-missile defences in the event of conflict with China or North Korea, which now have missiles capable of striking the continental United States.
The American website The Drive, which published the photos on its War Zone blog, reported that the Pentagon has been pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the stronghold in recent years, with the near 3km (1.9 mile)-long runway and other airfield infrastructure being upgraded, and a large solar plant and other facilities being built.
The website said the base can be used as a “fallback” for the US military if bases further west are attacked.
