US plans further military build-up

From a Saipan correspondent Within the next two years, Guam, which is already the largest foreign “homeport” for the United States Navy, will become the United States major defence base in the Western Pacific. A guided missile frigate and five des troyers are being transferred there along with 3,375 military personnel and dependants for whom more than SUS2O million is being spent on new hous ing units.

A foreign homeport is an overseas base with family residences.

At present Guam has six Polaris submarines, a squadron of seven fast patrol boats and a squadron of minesweepers. A number of 852 bombers, at present based in Thailand, are also being transferred to Guam which already has 30,000 military personnel in its total population of around 105,000. Of the island’s work force of 42,000, 18,000 work for the military forces. The US military presence in 1973 was worth SUSI7I million to the economy.

At the peak of the bombing raids in Vietnam, there were between 150 and 200 852 s on Guam but most of these were switched to US bases during the Middle East alert last year.

The question now being posed is—ls the military build-up on Guam a sign of further US involvement in Cambodia, or even Vietnam, or is Guam being prepared as the main base in the event of America failing to realise her military aims in Micronesia?