Under pressure from foreign allies, the United States is closing “lily pads,” or staging bases, for the evacuation of Afghan allies. These lily pads allow evacuees to be vetted before being relocated to the U.S.
But if the Biden administration wishes to do what is right, to continue to evacuate as many Afghan allies as possible, there’s a solution.
Guam.
More specifically, the establishing of a lily pad out of Guam. This week, I spoke to Glenn Pangelinan, a Naval Special Warfare intelligence chief who has worked with various veterans groups to evacuate Afghan allies. A Guam native, Pangelinan recently conducted a site survey to see whether it could serve as a new lily pad. Estimates suggest that approximately 25,000 Afghans (including allies and family members) still need to be evacuated.
Pangelinan is convinced, and convinced me, that Guam would thrive in this role.
A U.S. territory home to major naval and air forces, Guam would bring two benefits to the evacuation effort. First, it would streamline and simplify evacuation efforts. Rather than liaising with foreign governments, a laborious responsibility, the State Department would have a single line of contact to Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero. Sources tell me Guerrero is supportive of the idea.
Additionally, Guam has the facilities to host thousands of evacuees and their families. And it would do so in a way that would not strain existing military operations out of Guam. That caveat is crucial. After all, Guam is the linchpin forward operating base for military forces in the western Pacific.
Naval Base Guam and Anderson Air Force Base are home to critical war-fighting assets such as long-range bomber aircraft and submarines. Amid rising tensions with China in the East and South China seas, it would be folly to jeopardize these operations. Fortunately, the lily pad could be established via a mixture of Guam Army National Guard facilities and local hotels.
Still, Pango tells me time is of the essence.
Amid escalating Taliban atrocities against U.S. allies, women, and religious minorities, the loss of lily pads illustrates how the evacuation effort is “losing space and time.” Pango is hopeful the Biden administration will meet with Guerrero and discuss the opportunity that Guam presents. It would be a win for the governor in that the arrival of thousands of Afghans would boost the island’s economy, especially its COVID-struggling tourism sector. It would be a win for the Biden administration in that Guam would offer a more sustainable mechanism for delivering on President Joe Biden’s pledge to rescue as many allies as possible.
Let’s hope a meeting occurs.
