An announcement came out on June 12, 2019 that an agreement had been made between the governments of the United States and Ecuador that would allow the US military to extend the runway of the airport on San Cristóbal Island, then use it as a base for AWACS surveillance planes, specifically the Lockheed AP-C3 Orion and the Boeing E-3 Sentry (derived from the 707).
San Cristóbal Island is the easternmost of the Galapagos Islands, and is the second-most populous, with 5,600 people. Like all of the Galapagos Islands, it has a huge population of sea lions, birds, marine iguanas, and tortoises. The airport is one of three in the Galapagos Islands; the other two are Baltra and Puerto Villamil. There are commercial flights to the San Cristóbal airport from Quito, Guayaquil, and Baltra. The runway is 1,900 meters (6,230 feet) long.
The entire Galapagos Islands are an Ecuadorean national park and marine reserve, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. UNESCO has previously expressed concerns about the impact of human activity on San Cristóbal, at the airport in particular. Any expansion of this airport will reduce wildlife habitat, and any increase in air traffic will damage the bird population. Long story short, this is one of the most ecologically sensitive areas on this planet.
The stated purpose of the AWACS planes is "the fight against narco traffic".
The announcement has put the government of Ecuador on the defensive. Ecuador's constitution states that the country is "a territory of peace" and the "establishment of foreign military bases or foreign facilities for military purposes shall not be allowed". The government is claiming that this agreement does not make the San Cristóbal airport a military base, a claim which doesn't hold water. Ecuadorean Defense Minister Oswaldo Jarrin initially said that the Galapagos are a "natural aircraft carrier", and he had to back away from this statement very quickly. Ecuador's former President, Rafael Correa, was a proponent of the "a territory of peace" constitutional provision, and he is a harsh critic of this agreement. So are some members of Ecuador's National Assembly, including Brenda Flor Gil, who represents the Galapagos. The Assembly approved a resolution introduced by Flor, compelling Jarrin, environment minister Marcelo Mata and Galapagos government council president Norman Wray to appear before before them and answer some questions.
So, there are people in Ecuador who are on this case. I have some questions for the US government on this.
- The US budget deficit for the first eight months of the current fiscal year is $738.6 billion. Why is an increased military presence in the Pacific a priority?
- The US has around one million cocaine addicts. The amount of funding for addiction treatment is way less than what is required, so why is money being spent in the Pacific instead of within the borders of the US?
- Why is it necessary to use the San Cristóbal airport for the AWACS planes in addition to Guayaquil? Why isn't the Guayaquil airport sufficient?
- If it really is necessary to have an alternative site for the AWACS planes, why not use the Baltra airport, which has a 2,400 meter (7,880 feet) runway, and doesn't have a huge amount of traffic? As a matter of fact, Baltra was used as a US base during World War II. Is there something the US wants to hide?
- Which individual at which government agency actually signed this agreement? (see update below.)
Finally, as of this writing, there are 24 candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination, as well as one challenger for the Republican nomination. I would like to hear what these candidates have to say about this agreement. I would also like to hear from Washington Sen. Patty Murray, who is up for re-election in 2020.
Update on June 28, 2019: A Spanish-language article in an Ecuadorean newspaper, El Tiempo: EE.UU. descarta uso de aeropuerto de Galápagos
And an English article from Cuenca High Life: New U.S. ambassador to Ecuador says there are no plans for a military base in the Galapagos
So, two key points: The US ambassador says that no agreement has been signed, but negotiations are taking place. He also says that the US will respect Ecuador's constitution. And, "Everything depends whether it is necessary or not."
Update on July 5, 2019: A Spanish-language article in an Ecuadorean newspaper, El Comercio: La pista de aterrizaje de San Cristóbal, ‘en mal estado’
Quite a bit of detail here. The article contradicts Ambassador Fitzpatrick's statement that no agreement has been signed; it says that an agreement was signed on May 22. It says that despite a renovation in 2015, there are fissures in the runway, and a lack of lighting. There's curious statement from the President of the Galápagos Government Council: the two American planes must pass a control to enter the islands and ensure that the fauna and flora are not affected. How exactly is that going to happen? Is this control going to take place in mid-air?
