Fallen trees and debris surround a sign at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 25, 2023, the day after Typhoon Mawar hit the island. (Rachel Landers/U.S. Air Force)
The Air Force’s preeminent Indo-Pacific logistics hub weathered an “attack” when it was struck by a major typhoon on May 24, the base’s outgoing commander said at a change-of-command ceremony Friday.
Typhoon Mawar’s impact, which included structural damage and disruptions to communications and utilities, mirrored the potential effects of a military attack on Andersen Air Force Base, Brig. Gen. Paul Fast said before relinquishing command of the 36th Wing to Brig. Gen. Thomas Palenske.
“Today, five weeks after the attack, we’re back on our feet,” Fast said during his speech inside a hangar near the flight line. “Our airfield is fully functional; we’ve assessed over $4 billion of rebuild efforts in the coming years, with big plans to harden and be more resilient in terms of structure, energy, communication and mission support, and sharing that resilience with our surrounding community of Guam.”
Fast commanded Andersen just a few months, taking over in March when the Air Force relieved Brig. Gen. Paul Birch over “shortfalls in his personal conduct.” Details were not disclosed, but that conduct was not “criminal in nature,” 11th Air Force told Stars and Stripes at the time.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Paul Fast talks about Typhoon Mawar before relinquishing command of the 36th Wing at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, June 30, 2023. (Allon Lapaix/U.S. Air Force)
Brig. Gen. Thomas Palenske addresses his airmen after taking command of the 36th Wing at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, June 30, 2023. (Allon Lapaix/U.S. Air Force)
Two months after taking the reins, Fast was left to grapple with Mawar, the strongest typhoon to strike Guam since 2002.
The storm passed over the island’s northern coast, slamming the U.S. territory with winds of more than 140 mph. It left much of Guam without electricity for weeks – 6.9% of the 210-square-mile island was still powerless as of Thursday, the Guam Power Authority said in a Facebook post Friday.
Mawar caused an estimated $111.8 million in damage to local businesses, including $8.2 million to the Port of Guam, the Guam Daily Post reported June 8. At Andersen, on the island’s northern edge, the passenger terminal sustained significant damage, and the base continues to use a temporary terminal inside the 44th Aerial Port Squadron building.
Fast, during his speech, described the base’s initial preparations for Mawar’s “attack,” which included sending aircraft off the island.
“The attack lasted for 24 hours. As a result of the attack, we lost our ability to use our cellphones. Our utilities, including power, water and waste, were heavily degraded,” he said. “Most of our structures were compromised to some degree and our airfield was not usable. It was time to get to work.”
Fast clarified that he intentionally used the word “attack” because “this is what an attack would feel like.”
“These will be our fights when we are attacked,” Fast said. “The next attack may not have the same indications and warnings that we had with Mawar, but the effects may be very similar. This wing will be ready. Andersen will be ready. Guam will be ready.”
Other speakers at the ceremony – briefly interrupted by a pair of B-52 Stratofortress bombers taking off nearby – included Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, who thanked Fast for his brief tenure, and Lt. Gen. David Nahom, commander of 11th Air Force.
“Yesterday, I actually heard General Fast ask for somebody to take off in the middle of the ceremony, and we got it – two B-52s,” he jokingly told the audience. “But it is kind of a symbol that, regardless of the storm, Andersen’s back open for business.”
Taking the reins is Palenske, the former assistant vice commander of U.S. Special Operations Command at the Pentagon. In a speech after taking command, he called Andersen “the most strategically important base in the world.”
“As our nation’s competition with the Chinese Communist Party continues to evolve, it will be your efforts that informs their calculus that today is not the day to make a provocative move,” he told his airmen.
Palenske, a pilot with experience flying 10 types of helicopters, will command five groups, 18 squadrons and 22 tenant organizations in his new role. He’ll also lead the 8,000 service members and Defense Department civilians assigned to Andersen, according to a Friday news release from 36th Wing.
Fast will return to Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii, to resume his post as mobilization assistant to the deputy commander of Pacific Air Forces, according to the wing.
