The US Air Force is planning to reopen an old airstrip located on the Pacific island of Tinian, as reported by CNN citing American General Kenneth Wilzbach.
According to the report, in August 1945, the airstrip was used to launch the bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs. The Commander of the US Air Force in the Pacific Regional Joint Task Force stated that in the future, the mentioned base could once again become an “extensive” military facility.
Wilzbach explained that this would happen after the completion of clearance operations to remove vegetation from the airstrip. The American base turned into a real jungle after the last US Air Force units left the facility in 1946.
“The US plans to reactivate the airstrip on the Pacific island, from which the atomic bombings of Japan were initiated, as they seek to expand their basing capabilities in case of any military actions with China,” the publication clarified.
The General added that “significant progress” in this matter can be expected in the coming months. However, journalists noted that there have been no official statements regarding the reactivation of the airstrip on Tinian Island.
Tinian Island is part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the Pacific Ocean. It is located approximately six thousand kilometers from the Hawaiian Islands and covers an area of 39 square miles.
Earlier, the US Senate threatened China with “hellish sanctions” over the situation surrounding Taiwan.
