Guam still possible
as carrier group’s host
The commander of U.S. Pacific Command told a delegation from Guam that the U.S. territory still is being considered for possible placement of an aircraft carrier strike group, Guam's congressional representative said last week.
The response from Adm. Thomas Fargo was in regard to a question on the status of discussions to homeport a carrier in the Pacific, Rep. Madeleine Bordallo's office said in a news release.
Pacific Command officials said last year that an aircraft carrier strike group may be moved to Hawaii or Guam in the future so the Navy could respond more quickly to a crisis in North Korea or elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region.
Representatives from Guam and Hawaii, citing the economic boon that the increased military presence would provide their economies, have lobbied for the carrier group in their islands.
Bordallo addressed Fargo on the carrier group at an Armed Services Committee hearing Wednesday that also was attended by a four-member delegation from the Guam Chamber of Commerce.
The delegation traveled to Washington to present a position paper supporting an increased military presence in the U.S. territory located about 3,700 miles southwest of Hawaii.