Rising tensions over Taiwan serve as a reminder of ongoing supply chain crisis. As the U.S., Japan, and others accelerate efforts to strengthen defense programs, defense manufacturers continue to face supply chain and labor shortages. Bradley Martin, director of the RAND National Security Supply Chain Institute, recently warned these constraints are dangerous for the U.S. and its allies in preparing for China’s challenges.
For Guam, a remote U.S. territory that plays a unique strategic role in the United States’ Indo-Pacific strategy, the stakes of the supply chain crisis could not be any higher to American national security.
Guam is often referred to as America’s “tip of the spear.” Situated 1,900 miles from the Korean peninsula and 1,700 miles from Taiwan, it remains among our country’s most critical posts for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets, fighter aircraft, long range bombers, and attack submarines. No wonder experts have said Guam’s defense should be the center of the Biden administration’s focus on countering threats from China in the Indo-Pacific. And President Joe Biden wants to spend $892 million to protect Guam from China’s missiles.