US shrinks '360-degree shield' at Guam logistics center

Six additional THAAD air defense systems were deployed on the US island of Guam. (Source: THAAD)

In a draft environmental impact assessment report dated October 25, MDA said the project aims to create a "360-degree shield" to protect US territories in the Pacific from all forms of air and missile attacks.

The 10-year plan includes integrating Raytheon’s SM-6, SM-3 Block IIA, Lockheed Martin’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Patriot PAC-3 missile defense systems. The project is strategically important to the US and its allies in the Indo- Pacific region because Guam is Washington’s offshore logistics hub – closer to China than Hawaii.

The draft environmental impact study, which is due to begin in 2023 and will include a public comment period this year, proposes “deploying, operating, and maintaining air and missile defense systems at 16 sites” on Guam. However, the report does not provide a reason for reducing the number of missile defense sites.

Public meetings will be held in Guam next month to discuss the report, MDA announced.