Forward Edge: Guam and the Future of U.S. Defense in Asia

According to a Council on Foreign Relations article, Guam’s strategic position and proximity to Asia make it an important outpost for the U.S. military and a potential hub during the events of regional conflict, particularly in the South China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and Korean Peninsula. Guam became one of five permanently inhabited, unincorporated territories of the United States under U.S. jurisdiction after Spain ceded the island to the U.S after the Spanish-American War in 1898. The island is referred to as “the tip of the spear” regarding the United States’ capabilities of projecting its military might across the Indo-Pacific, especially with its proximity to countries like China, Japan, the Philippines, and North Korea. 

Additionally, Guam was central to the United States’ regional military strategy in times of conflict. During World War II, the island was a forward base for U.S. operations in the Pacific. In the Vietnam War, Guam hosted bombers headed for missions in Southeast Asia and served as a transit point for Vietnamese refugees on the way to the United States. Throughout the years, Guam has become more important as U.S.-China tensions mount and Washington’s concerns with a potential attack on Taiwan. 

Guam was then placed under the control of the U.S. Navy, where Washington established a naval base on Guam a year later. Guam’s geopolitical importance grew as there were regional disputes between U.S. and Japanese forces during World War II before the United States recaptured it in 1944. U.S. President Harry Truman signed the Guam Organic Act of 1950, and Washington established a civilian government on the island that granted U.S. citizenship to Gumanians. 

The Defense Department currently owns about 25% of Guam’s land, with the U.S. military currently totaling 9,700 uniformed personnel, with troops making up about 14 percent of the island’s population. The Defense Department spent a total of $2.5 billion in Guam for fiscal year 2022, and military construction projects account for many skilled labor jobs on the island. Those jobs are usually granted to foreign workers, where the number of foreign workers has reached a record of 5,500 people due to major new military projects, such as improved missile defense systems. 

After years of U.S. military operations and federal funding for the island, there is approximately 17 percent of households live below the poverty line. Military base expansions have also been detrimental to Guam’s ecology and endangered species, where conservation and activist groups are furious with the military not complying with national environmental policies. The United States invested over $7 billion in Guam’s military infrastructure, such as missile defense and Marine relocation from Okinawa, Japan. The additional funding addresses military environmental risks through climate resilience and clean energy initiatives. 

Based on a PACOM Stories article, the United States Coast Guard Forces Micronesia and Sector Guam, and other partners, conducted a series of operations to maintain safety and security; this was conducted for ports and approaches to Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In June 2025, the United States 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge arrived in Guam for a routine port visit, which is the first visit to the island since 2020. Their mission was to provide operational control and planning for Western Pacific and Indian Ocean forces to promote regional stability and maritime security through engagements with other allies and partners. Guam can serve as an integral factor for the Prometheus Maritime Project as it has an extensive history with the U.S. Navy and maritime security. 

Lastly, a new member joining the Prometheus team, Michael Knickerbocker, a retired Surface Warfare Officer, brings robust experience as the end-customer in ship repair and modernization and as an operational planner that understands the strategic fulcrums in the Indo-pacific. His understanding of fleet requirements will help shape and develop the workforce that is needed at the tip of the spear.