As China continues its aggressive posturing in South China Sea and Pacific Ocean, the US Air Force will essentially recommission the airfield on Tinian Island used to launch the missions that dropped atomic bombs on Japan in World War II, CNN reports.
The Air Force has already installed upgrades to the international airport that operates on the island, but Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of Pacific Air Forces, said the Pentagon will reclaim hundreds of acres that was once the location of North Airfield, which will be redeveloped into a functioning US airfield once again.
The Air Force abandoned the field in 1946, allowing the surrounding jungle to reestablish habitat, but a number of building foundations and a small monument to the military operation launched from there remain. The overgrown area and remnants of the base, however, are a popular tourist destination for vacationers on the island, with is part of the Marianas.