BY MAUREEN N. MARATITA
Journal Staff
The days of hundreds of military personnel enjoying Guam’s attractions because of military exercises may be over for the foreseeable future.
While the biennial Valiant Shield will still take place on the island from June 22 to July 1, it will also spread to Japan and Hawaii.
The U.S. and Japan will hold two exercises in Japan in late June, Resolute Dragon 26 and the Japan segment of Valiant Shield 2026. The field training exercise Resolute Dragon 26 will run from June 20 to June 30 with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Marine Corps, according to the JGSDF. The story was first broken by U.S.N.I. news.
In Japan, Valiant Shield will take place in various Japanese and U.S. military bases and facilities. U.S. participation in Valiant Shield will be led by the III Marine Expeditionary Force. Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam and the surrounding airspace and waters will host drills. Valiant Shield is usually led by a Carrier Strike Group participating in the Guam portion of the exercise. Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Schofield Barracks in Hawaii will also play a role in Valiant Shield.
More than 18,000 joint force service members from 30 units, including 200 aircraft and 20 ships participated in Valiant Shield 2024, which took place from June 4 to June 18 in Guam, Palau, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier made a port visit to the island after Valiant Shield, according to Journal files.
The inclusion of other locations is not good news for Guam’s hospitality industry.
A senior executive with one of Guam’s leading branded hotels told the Journal, “Based on current information and recent group activity, it appears Guam may see significantly lower transient lodging demand during this year’s Valiant Shield exercise compared to prior years.”
The executive said, “We are also seeing indications that fewer aviation and carrier-related support teams may be utilizing commercial lodging this year. … There may still be some short-notice transient demand, but overall expectations currently appear minimal compared to previous exercise years.”
For additional background on Valiant Shield, see military-exercises-planned-june-and-july-guam mbj
Journal Staff
The days of hundreds of military personnel enjoying Guam’s attractions because of military exercises may be over for the foreseeable future.
While the biennial Valiant Shield will still take place on the island from June 22 to July 1, it will also spread to Japan and Hawaii.
The U.S. and Japan will hold two exercises in Japan in late June, Resolute Dragon 26 and the Japan segment of Valiant Shield 2026. The field training exercise Resolute Dragon 26 will run from June 20 to June 30 with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Marine Corps, according to the JGSDF. The story was first broken by U.S.N.I. news.
In Japan, Valiant Shield will take place in various Japanese and U.S. military bases and facilities. U.S. participation in Valiant Shield will be led by the III Marine Expeditionary Force. Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam and the surrounding airspace and waters will host drills. Valiant Shield is usually led by a Carrier Strike Group participating in the Guam portion of the exercise. Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Schofield Barracks in Hawaii will also play a role in Valiant Shield.
More than 18,000 joint force service members from 30 units, including 200 aircraft and 20 ships participated in Valiant Shield 2024, which took place from June 4 to June 18 in Guam, Palau, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier made a port visit to the island after Valiant Shield, according to Journal files.
The inclusion of other locations is not good news for Guam’s hospitality industry.
A senior executive with one of Guam’s leading branded hotels told the Journal, “Based on current information and recent group activity, it appears Guam may see significantly lower transient lodging demand during this year’s Valiant Shield exercise compared to prior years.”
The executive said, “We are also seeing indications that fewer aviation and carrier-related support teams may be utilizing commercial lodging this year. … There may still be some short-notice transient demand, but overall expectations currently appear minimal compared to previous exercise years.”
For additional background on Valiant Shield, see military-exercises-planned-june-and-july-guam mbj
