Fargo won't commit to new carrier base yet

By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — Adm. Thomas Fargo told Congress today that the military wants to increase its combat power and response capabilities to deter emerging threats in Asia but said it is too soon to determine whether any new forces will be assigned to the Pacific.

Asked directly by Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo, D-Guam, whether Guam would be suitable as a home port for an aircraft carrier, Fargo said the military is still in the process of evaluating its footprint worldwide.

"It's way premature right now to make any commitments," Fargo, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, said at a hearing before a House panel on Asia and the Pacific.

Lingle administration officials said last week that they have had talks with the Navy over possibly bringing an aircraft carrier and strike group to Pearl Harbor, an initiative Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i, has advocated for years. Inouye, who met with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Tuesday, has said that the military would likely increase its presence in Hawai'i.

Guam has also indicated that it is interested in a carrier group, arguing that the island is geographically closer to Asia than Hawai'i.

Bordallo said she asked Fargo about the carrier to publicly raise the issue of Guam's interest so she can later push for federal money for necessary infrastructure improvements.

The military's 12 aircraft carrier groups are divided between the Atlantic and the Pacific, but the Navy has suggested that some forces may be moved as it restructures to respond to global threats in Asia, particularly North Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia. Five Atlantic carrier groups are based in Norfolk, Va., and one is in Florida. Three Pacific carrier groups are based in San Diego, two are in Washington state and one is in Japan.