US Marines launches first new base on Guam in 70 years to implement 2022 National Strategy

US Marine Corps on Thursday, January 26, reactivated its first new base in Guam after nearly 70 years, hosting 5,000 Marine troops to establish a forward presence in the Indo-Pacific region. The 4,000-acre island was formerly under the jurisdiction of the US Navy prior to its declaration as a territory post-WWII. Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Blaz was launched on the Pacific island of Guam on January 26 under the 2012 Bilateral Agreement that was inked by the United States and Japan governments.

The Defense Policy Review Initiative under the agreement had set the framework for the relocation of US Marines from Okinawa to Guam. The new base is named in honour of US Brigadier General Vicente Tomas “Ben” Garrido Blaz, the first Chamorro Marine to attain the rank of a general officer.

“Today is an important day that marks the future of the Marines on Guam, and it is also a day to reflect on the century-long history of the Marine Corps in this beautiful place we call home,” said Col. Christopher Bopp, Commanding Officer, MCB Camp Blaz in an official US Marines release. 

“On this island Marines and their CHamoru brethren have lived in peace and fought in war together and we are proud to carry on this legacy of honour and courage," he added. 

Representatives from the #MarineCorps, @louleonguerrero and @JapanGov were present for the ceremony to mark the activation of the Marine Corps’ first newly-constructed base since 1952.#USMCHistory pic.twitter.com/ogxDkXNHHK

— U.S. Marines (@USMC)

In 2012, the governor of Japan’s southern Okinawa province, Hirokazu Matsuno, lodged an opposition to the construction of a new US defense base in the province. He had also protested the idea of the relocation of the US Marine troops from the Futenma district to the less-populated Henoko district. Instead, the Japanese governor suggested that the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station must be moved from Ginowan City to the Henoko district. Guam was returned to the United States by Japan 50 years after World War II. The US had since established its largest military base, hosting close to 4,000 troops in Japan's Okinawa, until an agreement was signed to relocate them to Guam. 

Testament to US-Japan alliance

The Pacific island serves as a testament to the US-Japan alliance during WWII. It was known for hosting the major United States Air and Naval base for the squadrons of bombers who led the assaults on the Japanese forces during the Second World War. The Japanese forces landed on the territory of the United States in the North Pacific Ocean, Guam, following the Pearl Harbor attack and occupied the island by December 12, 1941. 

Since the establishment of the first-ever US Marine Barracks in 1899, the Marine Corps maintained a nearly continuous presence in Guam. US Marine Barracks were reactivated after World War II and were later deactivated on November 10, 1992. As a new Camp Blaz base is being established in 2023, it will serve as a strategic hub for the Department of Defense [DoD] to realise the vision of its 2022 National Defence Strategy. US Marines' forward presence and engagement in the Pacific will play a crucial role in strengthening the ability of collective defence for all its allies and partners, and promoting regional security.

“Forward, persistent presence is key to the regional security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz is a critical part of that. More than that, it shows our undivided relationship with the Government of Japan,” said the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David H. Berger.