Media reported US Air Force clearing out jungles in Pacific Ocean for a new base
The Defence One portal reported that Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, Pacific Air Forces Commander, said the Air Force is finding ways to increase the number of airfields in the Pacific, but needs additional funding for these efforts, TASS reports
Kenneth Wilsbach stated, “We’re going to be clearing out the jungle [and] we’re going to be resurfacing some of the surfaces there so that we will have a fairly large and very functional Agile Combat Employment base, an additional base to be able to operate from and we have several other projects like that around the region that we’ll be getting after. That takes resources to be able to accomplish.”
He noted that the Air Force has requested funds from US federal authorities to build the facilities. But according to Wilsbach, Congress is unlikely to pass the defence bills before October 1st. He said he’s very concerned about modernising existing platforms, which remain important to maintaining dominance in some of the areas where the Air Force conducts missions.
According to media reports, the US Air Force is stripping away tracts of jungle to make room for Tinian – a small island near Guam – where the largest B-29 bomber base was located during WWII and subsequently conducted exercise there.
