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Angaur hosts US Air Force
Following last week’s Air Force “combat-turn” exercises at Palau International Airport, this week has seen a continuation of US Air Force exercises on the Angaur Airstrip, from fighter-jet maneuvers to airfield damage repair.
On February 5, US Air Force Airmen assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron, Yokota Air Base, Japan, transported heavy equipment via a C-130J Super Hercules to Angaur, including a transport vehicle and building materials. Among other tasks assigned to the Air Force for Cope North 2021, an annual multilateral exercise, a team of RED HORSE civil engineers are repairing craters on Angaur’s Airstrip, and Air Force operators have helped to conduct further “combat turns” and “touch-and-go” landings of F-35’s.
Angaur State Governor Kennosuke Suzuky said that he has requested the US military to install lighting for the airport as well as maintenance along the airport’s perimeters. However, complications arise from Angaur’s limited supplies of construction equipment, which all must be brought in by the Air Force or shipped from Koror.
“Angaur will continue supporting the United States and its activities in Angaur,” said Governor Suzuky. “But we’re also hoping that Angaur itself can be supported with equipment and funding, so we can provide the help they need.”
In August 2020, the Koa Moana Task Force of the US Marines helped to enlarge Angaur’s Airstrip by an additional 21 acres, which went on to host the US Army’s Defender Pacific Exercise in September. Next month, the military may carry out another exercise focusing on maritime surveillance.
Governor Suzuky said that he has been working hard to help establish a military presence on Angaur, which housed a station for the US Coast Guard up to the late 1970’s.
According to the Governor, hosting military bases could be mutually beneficial for the US and Angaur.
“That’s what we’re really hoping for, that the military will fix the airport and build an active base,” said Governor Suzuky. “At the end of the day, if we have the military presence in Angaur, it will help with many things such as first responding in the event of an emergency, and jobs.”
The Governor stressed that having an active base on island would help boost the State’s economy. Right now, the Angaur Government is the sole employer on the island. The Governor said that more than half of the operational funding given to the State by the National Government goes to salaries of State employees, and that much of the rest is used on fuel costs to transport people and supplies from Koror to Angaur. Between $6 and $7 thousand a month from the State budget is spent on fuel for the Regina IV, Angaur’s ferry, as well as the State speedboats.
“If the military can employ some people in Angaur, it will have a spillover effect on our operational budget,” said the Governor.
However, whether such a base is in the planning is still very uncertain, he said, stressing that a lot of possibilities have been discussed with the military, but nothing has been set in stone.
In addition to airfield repair, the US military has purchased land on Angaur for radar sites and radio towers, as part of the Aerial Domain Awareness Program. But Governor Suzuky said that the land is still jungle, and construction of the site has not yet begun.
The current exercise, Cope North 2021, is an annual multilateral exercise between the US Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, focusing on practice among the three nations in providing defense and humanitarian assistance to the Indo-Pacific.
Most of the Cope North exercise has been taking place at Anderson Air Force Base in Guam. In addition to practicing combat maneuvers, exercises have included aeromedical evacuation missions, which use dummies to simulate an injured patient who is safely transported aboard a landed aircraft and flown away, as well as parachuted drops of emergency equipment from aircrafts.
US Ambassador John Hennessey-Niland stressed that the operations are part of a “team effort” among the US and its partners to “provide for the defense and security of our allies”.
“It’s all part of the Indo-Pacific strategy to link the Pacific islands as closely as we can to each other, and with the US and its friends,” said Ambassador Niland.
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U.S. Military Is Offered New Bases in the Pacific
Palau invites Pentagon presence at unspecified joint-use facilities, marking an advance of U.S. efforts to pressure China
By Gordon Lubold The Wall Street Journal
Sept. 8, 2020 5:30 am ET
PALAU—The Republic of Palau has asked the Pentagon to build ports, bases and airfields on the island nation, officials said, offering a boost to U.S. military expansion plans in Asia, as Washington aims to counter China.
The request came during a visit here last week by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the first-ever trip by a U.S. Pentagon chief to the tiny republic, which is made up of hundreds of islands in the Philippine Sea and is closely aligned diplomatically with Taiwan.
Mr. Esper traveled to Palau as part of a U.S. effort to realign its military footprint in the region, adhering to the 2018 National Defense Strategy, which calls for enhanced steps to meet security challenges posed by China.
Beijing has moved to lay claim to islands in the South China Sea, a major global trade route. China also has increased jet-fighter flights near Taiwan, fought a border skirmish with India and passed a national-security law to limit Hong Kong’s autonomy.
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Angaur Airfield Renovation Project finishes
The Angaur Airfield Renovation Project was completed on the morning of August 27, after a week of clearing the runway in Skojo, Angaur. The airstrip, which was originally 140 feet wide, is now 290 feet wide and 7,200 feet long, large enough to accommodate a commercial jet.
Surangel and Sons Co., along with CTSI, provided the man-power to accomplish the task, with the help of US military personnel.
Governor KennosukeSuzuky thanked US Ambassador John Hennesey Niland at the opening ceremony for the help of the US military, which he said will strengthen the relationship between the governments of Angaur and the United States.
“I and the people of Angaur will continue to welcome you, and if there’s any work that needs to be done down the line, the State of Angaur will welcome you,” the Governor said.
The Koa Moana task force was present to oversee the project before they depart Palau this upcoming Saturday, along with members of the CAT team.
Special representative guests at the opening ceremony were U.S Navy Commander Fong, U.S Marine Lieutenant Stona and U.S Army Major Gamble Cee.
Governor Suzuky also recognized the responsibility Angaur has to maintain the airstrip.
“When everyone leaves . . . Angaur State has a big job to keep this airport clear,” he said. “And if there is any way we can have equipment to keep this airport the way it is now, the future humanitarian and military personnel can use it without it going through the work again.”
Ambassador Niland said that the work looks great upon finishing, and that he’s proud to see this project come through, knowing that he and many others did not believe it would.
“Being the Ambassador gives me the power to help a little bit,” he said. “We are partners and we are friends. We won’t do anything that causes disagreement or do anything that people don’t want. We have a special relationship with Palau. My job is to make it better and stronger.”
The 100-acre land will now be used by the military for the purpose of radar operation, and one week into September 150 US soldiers will be flying in to do exercises. They will set up camp at the old military base in Angaur.
Angaur has a long history with the US military, once serving as station for the US Coast Guard.
U.S. Military lands C130 on newly renovated Angaur Airfield in Palau
By CourtesySeptember 8, 2020
KOROR, Palau — A U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules delivered U.S. Army Pacific Soldiers onto the newly renovated Angaur Airfield for training exercises in the Republic of Palau, Sept. 5.
The successful arrival of the military cargo plane validates the airstrip’s use by military and commercial aircraft, a little more than a week after the project’s completion and ceremony August 27. In the weeks prior, a U.S. civil-military engineer joint task force reconstructed and expanded the runway as part of the Angaur Airfield Joint Improvement Project.
The U.S. Ambassador to Palau, John Hennessy-Niland remarked that making a rudimentary airstrip capable of hosting cargo aircraft is a significant milestone in support of the people of Palau. “The completion of the Angaur Airfield Joint Improvement Project is a game changer,” said Hennessy-Niland. “Palau now has a secondary airstrip. This had been a long-standing request from the government of Palau and the State of Angaur.”
Adding a second airfield allows the U.S., along with other allies and partners in the region increased opportunity to support the delivery of humanitarian assistance in times of crisis or address other regional security concerns.
The USARPAC Soldiers are arriving as part of Defender Pacific 20, a theater-wide exercise that demonstrates strategic readiness by deploying combat credible forces in support of the Compact of Free Association agreement and the U.S. National Defense Strategy.
“The deployment of forces onto a newly certified airstrip demonstrates our ability to rapidly project joint combat power across the Indo-Pacific Command and reinforce international rules-based order,” said Col. James Bartholomees, USARPAC Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. “This new runway demonstrates America’s investment in our important alliances and partnerships and our overall commitment to the people of Palau.”
U.S. Army Pacific worked closely with the U.S. Embassy, Government of Palau, and the Joint Region Marianas command in Guam to minimize risk of exposure to COVID-19 through 100% testing and quarantine measures. USARPAC would like to thank the Palau Ministry of Health for all their efforts and assistance with COVID-19 testing and clearance. All soldiers tested negative for the virus prior to their arrival to Angaur.