Brands, who holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. chair in history at the University of Texas at Austin, is the author of more than 30 books dealing with U.S. history.
To counter China, the U.S. is racing to upgrade remote airstrips in the Pacific Ocean. WSJ’s Niharika Mandhana traveled to Tinian Island, where the U.S. is reviving a vast World War II-era airfield.