Military expects to move THAAD around the island for wider range of protection

 Joint Region Marianas held a roundtable meeting today, where they discussed moving defensive equipment around the island, as well as upcoming training exercises in the coming months. 

"As we go through this process we’re learning more and more about how we can better protect Guam and the region," Commander of Joint Region Marianas Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson said during a roundtable on the issue Monday. "As we’ve been doing the research for the permanent long-term solution for the 360-degree defense of the island from multiple threats, we’ve also learned that there are some ways we can optimize some of the systems we currently have."

In a PSA video release that went out last week Friday, Nicholson talked about plans on moving the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery, also known as the THAAD. Nicholson shared the decision to move the THAAD battery from Andersen Air Force Base to somewhere in the South Finegayan was made to better protect Guam and the region from adversaries should they attempt a missile launch.

The defensive equipment is planned to be moved from the military bases to other Department of Defense properties. Rear Adm. Nicholson assures island residents there is no need for concern as the moving of the defensive assets are just a precautionary measure.

"All of this is part of our long-term efforts to better defend our homeland," he said. "So anything we do in the coming weeks or months is not necessarily tied to anything a particular bad actor or adversary in the region has done."

Nicholson said only DoD property will be used to house the THAAD battery. The equipment move was planned in conjunction with the Governor, National Guard, and the Dededo Mayor.

Operation Valiant Shield will also be happening in the coming months and much of this exercise will be happening on Guam. Again, the moving of the THAAD system around the island is just precautionary and it’s also a way to better protect Guam by placing it in strategic locations around the island.