The review will cover Saipan International Airport, Tinian International Airport, Tinian North Field and Rota International Airport. The three islands in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are tens of nautical miles apart and less than 100 nautical miles north of the main U.S. military bases on Guam.
The Air Force says the mix of commercial airports and expeditionary airfields would let units practice moving between bases without long transit times, with Guam supporting preparations and deployments. The training would test the service’s ACE concept, which disperses forces so they can keep operating if one base is struck and was developed largely in response to China’s expanding naval reach and missile arsenal.
The proposal calls for exercises of varying sizes several times a year, lasting several weeks at a time. One scenario would involve up to 1,200 operations by combat aircraft and drones and 320 helicopter operations at each airfield annually, while the other would allow up to 1,400 aircraft and drone operations and 384 helicopter operations per airfield each year.
The exercises could require up to 550,000 gallons of fuel and as many as 1,000 personnel at each airfield. The proposal includes temporary facilities to support the drills.
Tinian’s North Field fell out of use after World War II and was largely overgrown when restoration began in late 2023. Work has also included upgrades to port and road infrastructure, fuel pipelines, airfield pavement and utilities.
The Air Force plans public meetings on Saipan, Tinian and Rota to hear from residents about the proposal, including what it could mean for their communities. The draft environmental impact statement is due for public review in fall 2027, with the final statement expected in mid-2028.
:chatgpt-content-reference{index=”0″}[US-Air-Force-Northern-Mariana-Islands-airfields.md](sandbox:/workspace/scratch/a2137e886e77/US-Air-Force-Northern-Mariana-Islands-airfields.md)
