The planes just got here in March, following three subs based one by one over the past three years in this isolated U.S. territory that is 6,000 miles closer to the Taiwan Straits than to New York.

If eager local leaders get their wish, the Western Pacific island may eventually welcome the biggest military prize of all: an aircraft carrier.

The Pentagon is considering moving one of its 12 aircraft carriers to either Guam or Hawai'i to edge closer to potential flashpoints in Asia. The pending decision pits two tropical econo-

mies heavily dependent on the military in direct competition for more defense dollars.

"Do you want to be closer to the fight or do you want to be farther away from the fight? That's the question," said Lee Webber, chairman of the Guam Chamber of Commerce's armed forces committee. "There are strategic reasons that would make it logical to have an aircraft carrier here."

Guam, the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands, is a laid-back, mostly rural island. Its 160,000 people rely heavily on Japanese tourists and the Navy and Air Force bases covering a third of the island's 212 square miles to drive their economy.

But it is no shoo-in for the honor. Hawai'i, about 3,700 miles to the east, wants the same economic benefits that Guam is after. It also argues it has better facilities than its western neighbor.

The military has only said it is considering both locations.

There is no doubt that Guam today plays a growing role in U.S. defense strategy as terrorist threats have emerged in Southeast Asia, North Korea has developed nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, and China has modernized its military.

Adm. Arthur J. Johnson, commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Marianas, said the Navy's presence on Guam is a powerful deterrent to those in the region who would "create drama."

"Just by having the (military) capability in the neighborhood, it forces people, transnational terrorists, to redo their calculus," Johnson said.

Already this year, the Air Force has started continuously rotating F-15s and B-2s to Guam from the U.S. Mainland.

The economic benefits of hosting an aircraft carrier would be significant for Guam, where the unemployment rate is 7.7 percent. The ship would add its 5,500 crew and their families to the local population, along with about 80 fighter aircraft and several escort ships.

Guam Gov. Felix Camacho said a carrier would create up to 4,000 jobs and generate close to $400 million in additional annual government revenue.

Webber, publisher of Guam's biggest newspaper, the Pacific Daily News, stressed his group has hired no professional lobbyists. The Pacific Daily News is owned by Gannett Co. Inc., which also owns The Advertiser.

"We're a bunch of little island boys ... saying, 'Hey, this is what we think. Here's what we have. Come visit us, we like you. And you're welcome here," he said.

To press their point, the chamber created a 56-page color booklet of maps and statistics highlighting why Guam is an ideal place to base a carrier.

The large bill that might be required to move the giant ship to Guam has cast doubt on its candidacy, however.