Hundreds of paratroopers, flown in directly from Alaska, descended on Anderson Air Force Base in Guam, yesterday, as an exercise of one of the skills of airborne troops but also to send a message to China.
“This scenario tested our ability to execute real-world missions and demonstrated that we are capable of deploying anywhere in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area at a moment’s notice,” said Colonel Christopher Landers, commander of the Alaska-based 4th Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division. While seizing airfields and other contested locales to create a bridgehead for follow-on forces is a historic staple of airborne forces, this unique training event serves as a clear warning to a number of potential foes, but mainly China, wrote The War Zone’s Tyler Rogoway, in reference to the bases that China has built in the South China Sea.
