On August 29, 2017, a medium-range missile was intercepted by the U.S. Navy’s John Paul Jones destroyer near the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii. According to a recent report from Reuters, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency confirmed in an environmental impact statement on October 25 that, following public consultations, plans to build a multi-billion dollar missile defense system in Guam will be reduced from 22 sites to 16.

Initiated in 2023, the project aims to provide a “360-degree” defense for U.S. territories in the Pacific against various missile and aerial threats. This includes the integration of Raytheon’s SM-6, SM-3 Block IIA, the Lockheed Martin THAAD system, and the jointly developed Patriot PAC-3 system over the next decade.

As reported by Stars and Stripes, the document emphasizes Guam’s strategic importance in sustaining American influence, deterring adversaries, addressing crises, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Any attack on Guam would be viewed as a direct assault on the United States, resulting in an appropriate response.

This initiative is critical for both the U.S. and its Indo-Pacific allies, as Guam is geographically closer to mainland China than to Hawaii, serving as a vital logistical hub outside the continental U.S.

The latest report does not specify the reason for the reduction in deployment sites. A meeting to discuss the report’s findings is scheduled for November in Guam.

Construction of these sites is set to begin in 2025, with the work expected to take approximately ten years—building three to five locations each year, with a maximum preparation time of 12 months for each site. The peak construction period is anticipated to be between 2028 and 2030.

China’s vast conventional ballistic missile inventory includes the DF-26, estimated to have a range of about 4,000 kilometers and capable of carrying both anti-ship and nuclear warheads. U.S. military planners are increasingly focused on new weapon developments in China, such as the hypersonic glide vehicle DF-27.

Peter Layton, a defense and aerospace expert at Griffith Asia Institute, highlighted Guam’s role as a “forward operating base for long-range bombers and a naval port, allowing naval vessels to deploy from there.” He noted that while certain locations in Japan and the Philippines are closer to China, they also present greater risks.