Jack of Harts

Kwajalein Atoll is America’s primary military defense base in the Marshall Islands. Its one hundred islands are far behind the Great Pacific Firewall and house numerous orbital defense lasers and missile launch platforms dedicated to protecting Micronesian airspace from enemy attack. The harbor supports powerful submarine and surface naval squadrons, and the spaceport has been one of America’s primary military launch facilities for centuries. Only the advent of inexpensive gravtech has allowed America to even consider reducing the launch traffic through Kwajelein, but the amount of support infrastructure and generational expertise of the ground crews has kept that trend at bay. The fact that the entire atoll is so easily secured by the local Marine garrison against unauthorized access is a powerful motivator for Space Force generals that do not wish to see their secrets broadcast all over the nets. The fact is, despite its distance from mainland America, Kwajalein Atoll is a secure enough location that it will remain a military asset for centuries to come. And the local clan chiefs will continue to demand the lease payments they require to maintain their people’s way of life on the parts of the atoll not used by the military.