By Brad Lendon | CNNThe US Air Force plans to bring the Pacific island airfield that launched the atomic bombings of Japan back into commission as it tries to broaden its basing options in the event of any hostilities with China, the service’s top officer in the Pacific says. The Air Force is also adding facilities at Tinian International Airport in the center of the island. Pacific Air Forces confirmed Wilsbach’s comments to CNN but said there was no official release on the subject. Tinian is part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the Pacific, some 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) west of Hawaii in the Pacific. A storied past, contemporary usesThe Air Force’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget request shows $78 million has been sought for construction projects on Tinian island.

Source: CNN December 22, 2023 01:30 UTC