Brig. Gen. Thomas Palenske is slated to relinquish command of the 36th Wing at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on May 22, 2025. (Samantha Jetzer/U.S. Navy)
The Air Force on Guam has never been more ready for a fight — a quality that will prevent one from happening in the first place, the 36th Wing’s outgoing commander said this week.
Brig. Gen. Thomas Palenske, interviewed Wednesday on “The Ray Gibson Show,” a Guam radio program, said a conflict in the Western Pacific is highly unlikely thanks to Air Force deterrence in the region.
“We are as prepared to fight as we have ever been,” he said during the interview livestreamed on KUSG’s website. “We know exactly what every single airman is going to do, and we’re practicing day in and day out.”
Palenske, who is slated to relinquish command on May 22, emphasized that the service’s heightened posture at Andersen Air Force Base and across Pacific Air Forces is key to deterring military aggression.
“You know why we’re not going to have a war? Because we’re so ready for war,” he said.
Brig. Gen. Thomas Palenske, commander of the 36th Wing, takes part in a shooting competition at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on Nov. 22, 2024. (Natasha Ninete/U.S. Air Force)
Throughout the hourlong interview, Palenske refrained from mentioning specific adversaries except for a single mention of China and a brief discussion on North Korea.
Regarding China, Palenske said “everyone would make more money if we just get along.” He later compared North Korea’s economy to the United States’ annual expenditure on Halloween candy and said any conflict with the U.S. would be “existential for them.”
The Department of Defense views Guam as a strategic hub vital for protecting U.S. military power in the region. Palenske said the “war footing” mentality seen at Andersen has spread throughout PACAF, calling this the most prepared he’s ever seen a major command.
In a moment of candor, Palenske also acknowledged the political and financial forces that help sustain defense spending.
“There are huge political interests that are spring-loaded to make sure that that money keeps getting invested in the military industrial complex across the board,” he said. “One, we got to have an enemy. But two, I mean, there are adversaries out there that do pose a threat.”
If an adversary is smart, “they won’t be anything other than posers of a threat, because if they take action and make a miscalculation, we’re going to club them like baby seals,” he said. “Make no mistake.”
Palenske — known for signing off his frequent social media posts with “Murica!” — took command of the 36th Wing in 2023. He said he plans to retire and pursue a job in a micro-distillery.
His successor is Col. Charles Cooley, a command pilot and former deputy commander at the 618th Air Operations Center at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., according to a May 12 news release from Joint Region Marianas.
Palenske is one of three top-ranking military leaders on Guam set to step down this month. Joint Task Force Micronesia held a ceremony Thursday, and Joint Region Marianas will change leadership May 29.
