By: Maj Kalyn Howard and Cadet Ethan Andrews

Wake Island, pictured as viewed from the north, was completely evacuated July 15, 2015, in preparation for Typhoon Halola closing in on the small atoll. A team with the 36th Contingency Response Group deployed from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to the atoll July 20, 2015, to assist permanently assigned airfield staff in storm recovery efforts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alexander W. Riedel)

This piece was originally designed and intended for a LOA University session at the 2025 Symposium. What follows is an executive summary of the session.

Introduction

Wake Island, a remote atoll in the Pacific Ocean, has played a unique role in US military strategy and logistics since before World War II. Its geographic isolation, military significance, and historical events serve as key lessons in contested logistics, resilience, and strategic decision-making. This executive summary provides an overview of Wake Island’s history, its military role, and the implications for modern-day operations as US military forces shift for Great Power Competition in the Indo-Pacific region.

Figure 1. Wake Island in relation to the Pacific Island Chains

Historical Significance

Wake Island Raid, 24 February 1942. A crewman readies rear cockpit .30 cal. MG mount on a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless prior to the launching of air strikes against Wake Island. View taken on USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6). (Photo courtesy of history.navy.mil and the National Archives)

Before World War II. Wake Island’s strategic importance was recognized in the early 20th century, particularly as aviation expanded across the Pacific. Before World War II, the island was a crucial refueling and rest stop for Pan American Airways, facilitating trans-Pacific flights. Recognizing its military value, the US began to fortify the island to serve as a forward defensive position.[1]

World War II and the Battle for Wake Island. On December 8, 1941, hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan launched an offensive against Wake Island. Despite fierce resistance from US forces, including the destruction of Japanese bombers by Marine aviators and the sinking of enemy vessels with coastal artillery, the outpost fell to Japanese control on December 23, 1941. The island remained under Japanese occupation until the end of the war, with American POWs subjected to forced labor and execution.[2]

Since World War II. Following the war, Wake Island was used primarily for military and commercial aviation operations. Control of the island shifted between various military and civilian agencies, including the Civil Aeronautics Administration and, later, the USAF, which has had control of the island since 2002. Wake Island played a role during the Cold War as a missile defense site and as a staging ground for military logistics and refugee evacuations, particularly after the Vietnam War.[3]

Wake Atoll: View of Peale Island, Wake, taken 25 May 1941. Seven Navy PBY patrol planes are anchored in the lagoon, and a Pan American Airways Boeing “Clipper” is docked at the pier. The Pan American compound is at the foot of the pier. (Photo courtesy of history.navy.mil and the National Archives)

Lessons Learned and Strategic Implications:

  1. Tyranny of Distance: Wake Island exemplifies the logistical challenges of sustaining operations at remote sites. Effective prepositioning and supply chain resilience remain critical to sustaining Forward Operating Locations (FOLs) in the modern military Pacific strategy.
  2. Defensive Posture and Preparedness: The battle for Wake Island highlights the necessity of early warning systems, robust force projection, and preemptive fortification. Failure to resource FOL defense and, later, reinforcements to turn the tide of battle, sealed their fate.
  3. Strategic Prioritization: The US decision to focus resources on the European theater under the “Germany First” policy demonstrated the difficult tradeoffs inherent in global military strategy. Regional geopolitics continue to complicate resourcing for remote Pacific outposts.
  4. Contested Logistics: The island’s history illustrates the vulnerabilities and risks associated with extended supply lines in a contested environment, reinforcing the importance of sustainability, survivability, agility, and responsiveness in modern military operations.[4]

A C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 437th Airlift Wing, Joint Base Charleston, S.C., flies above Wake Island Dec. 6, 2022. Airmen assigned to the 437th AW conducted off-station training in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibilities to hone global reach and readiness capabilities. (U.S Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mitchell Corley)

Contemporary Significance

Wake Island Airfield is tasked to “provide USINDOPACOM and PACAF the ability to project US power across the Pacific, enabling the trans-Pacific air bridge, joint missile launch operations, and remote basing strategies to deter regional threats and secure the Indo-Pacific theater.”[5] Looking to the future, Wake Island’s role in US military strategy aligns with the National Defense Strategy (NDS) and the shift towards deterring peer adversaries in the Indo-Pacific.[6] The island’s strategic position makes it valuable for. Additionally, the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) strategy relies on dispersed operations, making Wake Island a valuable location for prepositioning supplies or establishing forward refueling capabilities. As the US enhances its Indo-Pacific presence, Wake Island is likely to play a growing role in power projection, force sustainment, and deterrence strategies.

Currently, Wake Island is degraded – the consequence of “ruthless prioritization” and complex resourcing decisions.[7] The island’s capabilities are misaligned with strategic priorities under Great Power Competition; however, with today’s renewed focus on developing regional capabilities, Wake Island Airfield could effectively complement the FOLs and Cooperative Security Locations in the first and second island chains. In Maj Howard’s 2025 publication, The Battle for Wake Island 2025: A Critical Assessment of Pacific Basing Strategy she discusses several recommendations that range the Diplomatic, Informational, Military, and Economic instruments of national power – to make it supportable, to make it expeditionary, to make it joint, and to make it allied.[8]

Wake Island construction effort: F-35B Lightning IIs, with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211, the Wake Island Avengers and 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, fly over Wake Island during a regularly scheduled deployment of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group and the 13th MEU, Aug. 1, 2018. Air Force Civil Engineer Center is partnering with the 611th Civil Engineer Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, to modernize infrastructure at Wake Island. The airfield will receive new lighting, and grounding and pavement markings to support mission readiness and global air mobility. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Francisco J. Diaz Jr.)

Conclusion

Wake Island Airfield remains an enduring symbol of resilience as part of the US Indo-Pacific strategy. As the US adapts to evolving regional security challenges, Wake Island’s history offers valuable insights to inform contemporary military logistics, force projection, and operational planning. Specifically, lessons in the Tyranny of Distance, Defensive Posture and Preparedness, Strategic Prioritization, and Contested Logistics continue to influence today’s operations in the region and the effective capability to leverage remote Pacific Outposts. There is great opportunity inherent in any great challenge; ten years ago was the best time to act, but the second-best time is now.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the US Government. 

About the Authors

Maj Kalyn Howard, PhD, is a Logistics Readiness Officer, currently serving as Assistant Professor in the Department of Management, United States Air Force Academy. After commissioning in 2013, she served in several base-level positions before earning a Doctorate in Logistics from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 2020. Her research has explored performance management and humanitarian operations, as well as the challenges of remote and contested environments. She has led award-winning cross-functional teams, addressing complex problem sets in Air Force supply chains, humanitarian response, and most recently as Commander, Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center Detachment 1, Wake Island Airfield.

Cadet Ethan Andrews is a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy, majoring in Management with a minor in Global Logistics Management. He is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society, recognized for being in the top 10% of his major. He recently placed third in the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Business Ethics Case Competition, showcasing his dedication to innovative problem-solving and ethical leadership. In May 2025, Ethan will commission and proceed to his first assignment as a 21R Logistics Readiness Officer.

Works Cited

[1] John Wukovits, Pacific Alamo: The Battle for Wake Island (Caliber, 2003); General James P.S. Devereux, The Story of Wake Island (Arcadia Press, 2020).

[2] John Wukovits, Pacific Alamo; General James P.S. Devereux, The Story of Wake Island; Bill Sloan, Given up for Dead (New York: Bantam Books, 2003).

[3] World Statesmen, s.v. “Wake Island,” accessed 10 March 2024, https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Wake_Island.html.

[4] National Defense Strategy, US Department of Defense, 27 October 2022, https://www.defense.gov/National-Defense-Strategy/.

[5] WIA Trip Book, Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center, 19 April 2024.

[6] National Defense Strategy

[7] Charles Pope, “CSAF outlines strategic approach for Air Force success,” Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, 31 August 2020, https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2331282/csaf-outlines-strategic-approach-for-air-force-success/.

[8] Kalyn Howard, “The Battle for Wake Island 2025: A Critical Assessment of Pacific Basing Strategy,” Contemporary International Security Affairs, Air University Press, May 2025 (publication pending).