--- title: "Navy to restart reconnaissance flights at Wake Island this summer" description: "The Navy plans to fly P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance planes from the island, one of several World War II-era airfields being reactivated." date: "2026-06-14" modified: "2026-06-14" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-p8-wake-island-revival/" categories: - "Military Branches" - "Navy" - "News" --- # Navy to restart reconnaissance flights at Wake Island this summer ![F-35B Lightning IIs, with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211, the Wake Island Avengers and 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, fly over Wake Island during a regularly scheduled deployment of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group and the 13th MEU, Aug. 1, 2018. Air Force Civil Engineer Center is partnering with the 611th Civil Engineer Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, to modernize infrastructure at Wake Island. The airfield will receive new lighting, and grounding and pavement markings to support mission readiness and global air mobility. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Francisco J. Diaz Jr.) ]() *F-35s fly over Wake Island in 2018. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Francisco J. Diaz Jr.* The Navy is once again launching planes from Wake Island. This time, the island will serve as the base for P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft, according to contracts posted by the Navy. The contracts, listed on SAM.gov, say that the service will use the island and its airfield for “Navy Summer Exercise 26.” That itself was not specified, but the P-8 Poseidon is used for reconnaissance flights and this operation is being overseen by the Seventh Fleet’s main reconnaissance and surveillance arm, Task Force 72. The Air Current [first reported]() on the plan to use Wake Island, following reports on other old airfields from World War II being revived. "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,” a Seventh Fleet spokesperson said in a statement to Task & Purpose. “It is Navy policy not to discuss future operations or movements due to operations security.” Plans call for using the airfield for two 60-day periods, starting between Monday, June 15 and ending Nov. 30. According to the contract documents, the Navy wants workers to carry out support missions for P-8 flights, including refueling, air traffic control operations and weather observations. Additionally, the Navy wants to extend the hours of operations for the airfield on the island. The Navy also wants the airfield maintained for passenger and cargo aircraft coming in and out of Wake Island during that six-month period. The American military has used Wake Island for decades. The small island's location has made it an important stopover spot for planes crossing the Pacific. During World War II, Japan captured the island and its airfield in December 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It remained in Japanese control through the war. After World War II, the airfield remained in use as a stopover spot for commercial and military aircraft. The Air Force oversees the airfield, but staffing fluctuates. The island is uninhabited and infrequently used for training missions. In 2020, the Air Force spent tens of millions of dollars updating the island's airfield, repairing and expanding its infrastructure after it had "deteriorated," [according to]() the service. The use of the airfield on Wake Island is part of a wider revival of World War II-era bases in the Pacific. For the last few years, the military has been restoring and updating airfields on small islands in the area, including restarting operations out of [Peleliu](). One of the biggest efforts involves the [reactivation]() of the northern airfield on Tinian, in the Mariana Islands. The Air Current [reported]() last month that flights there were set to begin on May 31; last month Pacific Air Forces declined to release the date that operations on Tinian would restart, but told Task & Purpose that it "continues to make significant progress on the rehabilitation of Tinian North Field" and plans to use it during "upcoming joint and bilateral training events." ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()