U.S. base commander calls PLA Guam attack video ‘propaganda’
The commander of Andersen Air Force Base on the U.S. Pacific island of Guam said a People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) video that seemed to show a simulated attack on his facility was “propaganda” designed to coerce and antagonize.
The video showed nuclear-capable H-6 bombers striking what appears to be Andersen, though it did not mention the base name, as regional tensions rise and the United States carried out the biennial Valiant Shield, one of its largest military drills in the Pacific Ocean.
“I’m always concerned about our ability to protect our service members and their families,” Brig. Gen. Jeremy T. Sloane, pictured, Andersen’s commander, told reporters on a conference call about Valiant Shield exercises.
“The video itself — they know the timing of the exercise,” he added. “It’s a propaganda video. … Although we’re always concerned about the protection of the island and the protection of our people, the video itself is just purely propaganda designed to coerce and antagonize us.”
The Chinese Communist Party did not comment on the video, which used scenes from Hollywood movies such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It was released September 19, 2020, on the PLAAF’s Weibo account, in the midst of Valiant Shield.
“The exercise itself is going to go on as planned because it’s designed to make sure that we’re trained and ready to conduct ourselves across a variety of operations in the Indo-Pacific and to support our allies and partners,” Sloane said.
Guam is home to major U.S. military facilities, including the air base, which would be key to responding to any conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.
