The United States successfully conducted a ballistic missile intercept test for the first time and it was seen as a critical milestone in the defense of the Indo-Pacific region and, more specifically, the island of Guam. Guam is a territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean, and has served as a strategic military outpost since the 1940s. The experiment, conducted by the Missile Defense Agency, took place at Andersen Air Force Base, a facility established shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. Following this conflict, US military interests in Guam and the rest of Micronesia expanded exponentially. But by doing so, the island's forest ecosystem was emptied of every species of bird. So, what happened, and why does Guam continue to be of such vital strategic importance?
Click through and learn more about Guam's WWII battles, ballistic missiles, and a voracious predator called the brown tree snake.