The Washington Post reports that Guam is called “‘America’s unsinkable aircraft carrier,” because the island is home to a huge air force base. And then there is ‘Fortress Pacific,’ because of the huge military buildup that is planned to take place over the next decade.”  

“But Guam’s population calls it by another name: Ours. And a sizable portion wants a real say in how it is run.”  

The piece continues: “The issue has been simmering for years but returned to the political front burner with the Pentagon’s preparations to relocate thousands of troops stationed on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa to here.”  

“The U.S. military presence on Okinawa has long been a source of contention in a prefecture that complains of being treated as a second-class citizen by Tokyo. But there are similar complaints on Guam, a 30-mile-long tropical island of only 160,000 people, which is already home to large air force and naval bases.”