Stars and Stripes reports that “the U.S. may soon test new weapons systems and host more joint exercises with allies in a vast western Pacific training ground, but the plans depend at least partly on the concerns of local islanders.”

“Both the Navy and Marine Corps are floating proposals to expand training around the Northern Mariana Islands, which were strategically valuable during World War II and are again gaining attention as the United States pivots toward Asia, at least partly as a counterweight to China.”