Aircraft assigned to the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group fly in formation over Wake Island, June 15, 2023. (Samuel Osborn/U.S. Navy)
The U.S. Navy wants to use the airfield on tiny Wake Island for operations involving P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, according to a contract solicitation by the service.
The Navy is planning to use the island’s airfield for two 60-day periods between Friday and Nov. 30 for what the solicitation describes as “Navy Summer Exercise 2026.”
The P-8 aircraft will be operated by Task Force 72, which leads reconnaissance and surveillance forces in support of the Navy’s Japan-based 7th Fleet, according to the solicitation documents.
Wake Island, just under 3 square miles, lies about 2,300 miles west of Honolulu and 1,500 east of Guam. It has no permanent residents.
The U.S. Air Force maintains and operates the island’s 9,800-foot-long runway.
The scope of work being contracted by the Navy includes extensive airfield operations support, such as extending airfield hours for the P-8 missions, providing air traffic control, fueling support and daily weather observations.
The contractor would also process and screen passengers, manage cargo operations and provide meals and berthing for up to 150 personnel.
The 7th Fleet declined to provide details on the exercise in a statement emailed Tuesday.
“The Navy continues to maintain the operational use of the airfield on Wake Island to include support for the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft,” the fleet said. “It is Navy policy not to discuss future operations or movements due to operations security.”
The Navy’s massive Rim of the Pacific exercise will take place in waters around Hawaii from June 24 through the end of July.
Other Navy exercises in the Pacific this year include Pacific Vanguard in the late summer in the Philippine Sea and Malabar in late fall in the Western Pacific or Indian Ocean.
Wake Island was held by the Japanese through the entirety of World War II after capturing it on Dec. 23, 1941.
During most of the Cold War it served as a logistical hub. In recent years it has been used as a refueling depot for military missions and assisting in missile testing.
In 2020, the Air Force launched an $87 million project to upgrade and modernize the runway and adjacent facilities to accommodate the service’s C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes.
