Guam Guard adjutant general defends need to enhance Guam's defense

Territorial adjutant general Dr. Mike Cruz is giving a clear message - "if you want peace, prepare for war." His response focuses on the island's necessity of the enhanced integrated air and missile defense system planned for Guam.

The 13th adjutant general of the Guam Guard and former lieutenant governor was responding to a newspaper article that critiqued the United States military’s claims of defending Guam. The article, he writes, emphasized the limitations of current missile defense capabilities on Guam and the lack of civilian preparedness.

Brigadier General Mike Cruz told KUAM News that while the concerns are valid, it overlooks the strategic realities and the geopolitical imperatives that necessitate a strong defense posture in Guam.

His response issued via press release comes about one month after he sat alongside the governor and other military officials for the first-ever missile defense intercept test. 

"Exactly what it says," Cruz explained. "It's about deterrence more than anything else. It's about changing the calculation of any would-be adversary out there to think about - wait a minute - it's not in our best interest to attack Guam or to try to do anything towards our people here. Also, what I wanted to mention was the importance for civilian preparedness and that there needs to be a balanced approach between what the military is doing but also we as a community is balanced in the approach to it. And also stressing the fact that any plans for the future should always be protecting our cultural and ecological, environmental resources."

The Missile Defense Agency plans to construct more than a dozen systems across the island over the next decade. 

The public has until January 8 to provide comment on the environmental impact statement for those plans. 

Meantime, Dr. Cruz stating, "if you want peace, prepare for war," adding, the U.S. military's enhanced integrated air and missile defense system is not solely about neutralizing every potential attack, but about raising the cost of aggression for adversaries.

He concludes by stating Guam’s defense systems are not about guaranteeing invulnerability but about deterring aggression and ensuring regional stability.