The United States will view any attack on Guam or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands as an attack on U.S. soil, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stressed to local leaders during a stopover on Guam on Thursday.
Hegseth sat down for a briefing with Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, CNMI Gov. Arnold Palacios, and Del. James Moylan a few hours after his transport plane touched down on the flight line at Andersen Air Force Base Thursday afternoon.
"I want to be very clear to everyone in this room, to the cameras, any attack against these islands is an attack against the U.S.,” Hegseth told officials from Guam and the CNMI.
"We recognize that, we understand that, we are committed to that, and we would meet any attack with the appropriate response,” he said.
The secretary of defense spoke to Guam and CNMI leadership minutes after sitting down with top brass from local military command at Andersen, to include Joint Region Marianas Commander Rear Adm. Brent DeVore.
Local media stood in for a few minutes of remarks between Hegseth and the Guam governor, before they were asked to leave.
Hegseth, who has recently been embroiled in controversy after he was accused of sharing U.S. attack plans against Yemen’s Houthis earlier this month over an unclassified messaging app, did not take any questions from Guam media during the stopover.
Hegseth is the first of President Donald Trump’s cabinet members to visit Guam, part of a bigger tour of the Indo-Pacific region.
On Thursday, he stressed the Trump White House’s commitment to defending the Mariana islands, and also the position as the “tip of the spear.”
“President Trump has made it clear that our goal is to achieve peace through strength by putting America first, but that means working with partners and allies throughout the region, and in re-establishing deterrence and building capabilities right here,” Hegseth said.
“These islands are the tip of America’s sphere in the Pacific, Guam and CNMI, vital parts of America and central to our defense mission,” he told the governors of the two territories. “This was our first stop for a reason. This is America first, also, right here, and we want to make sure our allies and adversaries completely understand that.”
Guam is frequently identified as a target of Chinese missile or even nuclear strikes in war games and reports from U.S. policy institutes, some of them funded by the Department of Defense.
But a frequent question raised by planners and local officials is whether the Chinese People’s Liberation Army believes the U.S. will defend Guam in time of war.
Guam missile defense will be US model
Hegseth on Thursday stressed that the 360-degree missile defense system planned for Guam will be a model for the “Golden Dome” concept Trump has pushed for, a system capable of protecting the continental U.S. from missile attacks.
“We’re going to learn a lot here and also forward deploy capabilities that need to exist on American soil,” the defense secretary said.
“I’m here to let you know that, as I said to the troops, we have your back. President Donald Trump has your back as well,” Hegseth said. “We’re building out the mission here, in the hope of generations of peace on this absolutely beautiful island.”
“We are not seeking war with Communist China, but it is our job to ensure that we are ready,” he added.
‘Peace through strength’
Shortly after arriving at Andersen on Thursday, Hegseth boarded a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter for a ride around the installation.
Part of the publicly announced reason for the defense secretary’s visit was to tour military facilities on Guam.
He also took a moment to address troops from each branch of the military, including Guam Army National Guard troops, and Guard Adjutant General Brig. Gen. Michael Cruz.
Also present were a handful of visiting World War II veterans, including a 99-year-old, who are on Guam ahead of a visit to Japan for the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Speaking to the troops gathered in a hangar at the Andersen flight line, Hegseth said the president’s vision for the American military is “peace through strength.”
“President Trump has no desire to start new wars or nation build and be an interventionist. It’s truly a belief in peace through strength,” he said.
In the event of conflict in the region, he said, “My job is to ensure that you have everything you need if and when that moment comes, but hopefully to prevent that moment from coming in the first place.”
He said the Trump administration was committed to rebuilding American military capacity, from ships to planes.
“You will have the most lethal capable platforms on Earth to close with and destroy the enemy. That’s a promise we have to make for you,” Hegseth told soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines gathered Thursday.
The Indo-Pacific was at the forefront of U.S. force projection, he stressed.
“I don’t have to tell you that. You know that. You’re living in history, you’re living in reality. You’re living in a dangerous neighborhood. You are America’s power projection platform,” he said.
He did make reference to recent attacks on Yemeni Houthis, which the U.S. Central Command bombed earlier this month, stating the moves were to ensure “freedom of navigation.”
On Thursday, Hegseth highlighted the importance of freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific.
The Yemen bombings led to recent controversy after Hegseth was accused of sharing U.S. attack plans over an unclassified messaging app.
On Monday, The Atlantic reported that editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently placed in a Signal messaging app group chat with U.S. officials, and Hegseth shared plans for an attack on Yemen.
Two days later, The Atlantic released the entire Signal chat among senior national security officials, showing Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop.
But Hegseth didn’t take any media questions on Thursday.
After Guam, Hegseth will visit the Philippines and Japan to meet with senior U.S. military and civilian leadership.
(3) comments
The Chinese military, like Russia boast about hypersonic missiles, what no one is mentioning is that after about 150 miles the heat destroys all the circuit boards rendering the missle useless. Chinese technology is still years behind. Their aircraft carriers which they only have 2 in operation needs a ramp to launch aircraft. China may have more ships than the US, but that doesn’t equate to them being able to out maneuver the forces that be.Also Matt, NATO has no obligations in the Pacific. You need to do your research
The local missile defense will be the model for the Continental US, which invariably means trial and error. Peace through strength rings hollow if the US is pressuring allies such as Japan to contribute more to defense. I have seen this movie before. Asking NATO members to pay more for defense and then all too eager to break it off, break it up.
You know nothing of the sort
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