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Like most people living in Guam, Jacqueline Guzman is used to hearing about the threat from China. The US territory of about 170,000 people lies in the Pacific Ocean and despite growing geopolitical tensions in the region, the cost of living rather than military aggression is front of mind for many residents.
Guzman says she is worried “about paying bills” and has trust in the US government to protect her.
But that certainty shifted slightly this month when the threat catapulted into the headlines, as Beijing used a military parade commemorating Japan’s defeat in the second world war to unveil a range of new military hardware – including a weapon dubbed the “Guam Killer” by Chinese media.
In addition, the image of China’s president Xi Jinping surrounded by the leaders of Russia, North Korea, Iran and more signalled for some a new and unexpected danger.
“From what I’ve read, just about everyone in this region should be worried,” says Frank Whitman, 71, who lives in Barrigada, right next to the headquarters of the Guam national guard, a component of the US military.
“But there is nothing really not much we can do.”
Located about 3,000km east of China, Guam is a strategic hub for the US in the Pacific and hosts a large military contingent. Experts say that if China were to annex Taiwan – as its leader Xi has pledged – Guam would probably become a frontline in the conflict that could follow.
For that reason, displays of China’s increasing military prowess – this month’s event included nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, anti-drone lasers and four-legged “robot wolves” – loom large in the territory.
“Guam is a key strategic location for the United States in the Western Pacific,” says Michelle Tucker, public affairs officer for the Joint Task Force-Micronesia, a newly established command that overseas military operations in the western Pacific.
She says the region is among the most ‘“consequential” for the US and that the military is “ready to defend our US homeland here on Guam”.
With that in mind, the US is developing an enhanced integrated air and missile defence, said to provide 360-degree protection around Guam. According to the record of decision recently released by the defence department, the $1.5bn project is expected to be completed in 10 years.
“Guam should be aware of the threat, even if not so worried,” says Col Grant Newsham, a retired US marine officer, noting that the Chinese military has outpaced the US in some areas.
“If the Chinese choose their timings and locations … they could really hurt US forces,” says Newsham, a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy and Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, and author of the 2023 book When China Attacks: A Warning to America.
Nevertheless, Newsham believes the US military remains powerful and more than a match for China’s new military technology.
As well as the missiles and underwater drones, Xi standing with the North Korean and Russian leaders at the military parade prompted new concern among some in Guam.
Gina T Reilly, a communications specialist for a military contractor, says she used to not be worried by China – until the “joint public appearance by Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping”. That, she says, signals “closer political ties and mutual support” between the countries.
“That can alter regional and global diplomacy and make coordinated actions more likely. It’s alarming because it can be a military and security allegiance,” Reilly says.
Local officials, however, continue to insist that defending Guam is of paramount importance to the US military.
Guam senator Jesse Lujan, chair of the legislature’s federal affairs committee, says the local government receives intelligence briefings from US military officials and the protection of the island is taken “with the utmost seriousness”.
“Our role is to remain calm, informed and united, trusting that the proper channels are in place to ensure our security.”
