US bolsters island bases as insurance on China

Saipan, which is 200km north of Guam, the most substantial US military base in the region, is to have an expanded airfield capable of receiving fighter jets and refuelling tankers and heavy-lift transport aircraft. About 700 support personnel are expected to be based on the 20km-long island, which has a population of 48,220 and is a member of the Northern Mariana archipelago administered by the US.

See the full article at The Australian