The U.S. Air Force has chosen Tinian in the Northern Marianas to be a divert airfield if the Anderson Air Force base in Guam is rendered inoperable because of an attack or natural calamity.
Guam is strategically important to the United States, housing both an Air Force and Navy base. Here, a US F-16 flies along the island's coastline. Photo: US Department of Defense
This follows a review through the National Environmental Protection Act, the CNMI Final Environmental Impact Statement and a series of high-level conversations with the CNMI government.
The decision means the Tinian airport facilities will now start to be equipped to support cargo, tanker and similar aircraft.
The U.S. Department of Defense already leases two thirds of the land on Tinian.
In the Second World War, the US built an airbase which was used to attack Japan with nuclear weapons.
