Guam: Assessment of Defense Infrastructure and Readiness Status

Key Chapter Title List

1. Guam's Strategic Role in the Indo-Pacific Region
2. Current Status of Guam's Military Infrastructure
3. Funding for Military Construction on Guam
4. U.S. Military Personnel Deployment on Guam
5. Guam's Military Command Structure and Major Units
6. Guam's Naval and Air Power and Infrastructure
7. Guam's Missile Defense System
8. Status of Guam's Civilian Infrastructure
9. Infrastructure Development and Military Access in the Western Pacific
10. Core Issues of Congressional Concern
11. Assessment of Guam's Defense Capabilities and Vulnerabilities
12. Guam's Force Deployment and Readiness Status

Document Introduction

As the westernmost U.S. territory in the Indo-Pacific, Guam is closer to Beijing than to Hawaii and serves as a critical strategic pivot supporting U.S. naval and air operations in the Western Pacific. Simultaneously, it lies within the strike range of Chinese and North Korean nuclear and conventional missiles. Its defense infrastructure and readiness status directly impact the implementation of the U.S. Indo-Pacific security strategy. This report, published by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) in August 2023, aims to provide authoritative analysis for Congress and the Department of Defense on military deployment, infrastructure construction, and related policy issues concerning Guam.

The report systematically outlines the military infrastructure landscape of Guam, including the U.S. military's control of 25% of the island's land, the current deployment status of approximately 6,400 active-duty personnel, and the core facilities and unit configurations of the Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and other services. It focuses on analyzing the Department of Defense's (DOD) five-year plan: investing $7.3 billion in military construction from FY2024 to FY2028, with an additional $1.7 billion allocated by the Missile Defense Agency for deploying an integrated missile defense system. The plan also includes relocating 5,000 Marines from Okinawa, Japan, to a new base on Guam that became operational in 2020.

In the field of missile defense, the report details the threats Guam faces from ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and hypersonic weapons. It also covers the construction progress, technical architecture, and deployment timeline of the Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense (EIAMD) system under development. The report clarifies that the system must achieve 360-degree coverage and layered defense capabilities, with some components planned to achieve initial operational capability by the end of FY2024. Furthermore, the report delves into the bottlenecks of Guam's civilian infrastructure, including constraints on military readiness posed by power supply, water resources, housing shortages, and labor shortages, as well as the impact of foreign temporary worker visa policies on military construction progress.

The report also analyzes Guam's role in regional security dynamics, including its function as a key venue for joint military exercises between U.S. forces and allies, its potential as a strategic support for Taiwan's defense, and its military coordination layout with surrounding areas such as the Northern Mariana Islands. Finally, the report lists policy issues that Congress needs to focus on, covering missile defense program oversight, funding priorities for military and civilian infrastructure, civil-military relationship coordination, land use management, etc., providing data support and an analytical framework for relevant decision-making.