Text Fw: Guam references in appropriations request statement - Admiral Robert F. Willard

* Text informed by Martha Duenas through Famoksaiyan Friends (and thankfully reminded by Makiko Sato) on March 26, 2010. The color emphasis is by Martha Duenas.
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STATEMENT OF ADMIRAL ROBERT F. WILLARD,
U.S. NAVY COMMANDER U.S. PACIFIC COMMAND

BEFORE THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY CONSTRUCTION

ON MILITARY CONSTRUCTION IN U.S. PACIFIC COMMAND

MARCH 24, 2010

FISCAL YEAR (FY) 11 MILCON [pdf page 3]

In FY11, USPACOM is postured to request funding for facilities and infrastructure to support U.S. military forces and their families. MILCON requested by the services in the Pacific AOR is categorized into four broad areas: Defense Policy Review Initiative (DPRI), Republic of Korea (ROK) Transformation, Grow-the-Force, and Sustainment.

DEFENSE POLICY REVIEW INITIATIVE

Rapid response in the Asia-Pacific region hinges on flexibility, speed and forward basing of our military forces. On May 1, 2006, the U.S. Secretaries of State and Defense and their Japanese counterparts released the Roadmap for Realignment, which outlines the overall implementation for the relocation of U.S. forces in Japan. The importance of the Roadmap was reaffirmed in February 2009 in a second agreement signed by Secretary of State Clinton and her Government of Japan counterpart. Moreover, the Defense Policy Review Initiative (DPRI) agreed to with Japan will sustain the capacity of our forward ground forces while addressing the burden-sharing concerns of our Japanese hosts. The majority of DPRI actions remain on track and Japan is shouldering most of the planned facility construction costs associated with the agreed changes. The exception is the Futenma Replacement Facility (FRF). The newly elected Japanese government is presently reviewing the plan to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to another location on Okinawa. We are optimistic that the Government of Japan will fully reaffirm the 2006 GoJ-U.S. agreement by May 2010. The relocation of MCAS Futenma, which affirms the continued presence of Marine Corps airlift capability on Okinawa, is the critical element enabling the relocation of 8,000 Marines to Guam. Per the agreement, U.S. MILCON funds will contribute to the costs for facility and infrastructure construction on Guam to support the relocating Marines and their dependents.

Guam: As do the Okinawa-based Marines, Guam-based forces offer the strategic flexibility and response needed for the U.S. to be postured for contingencies in the Asia-Pacific. MILCON funding is in turn a vital enabler for the timely relocation of Marines to Guam. FY11 funding continues our contribution to the 2006 Realignment Roadmap estimated facilities and infrastructure cost on Guam of $10.3 billion. Under the agreement, Japan will provide $6.1 billion of the funding with the U.S. providing the remaining funding. Japan committed its first increment of funds by appropriating $336 million in May 2009. We are hopeful their second increment of funding, expected in 2010, will further demonstrate their commitment to the effort. In our request, FY11 MILCON funding totaling $427 million will provide utilities and airfield ramp space to bed-down Marine aviation at Andersen AFB and wharf improvements at Apra Harbor. Additional investments will be needed to improve off-base Guam infrastructure, such as roads and bridges critical to the successful throughput of materials to the planned Marine Corps installation.

REPUBLIC OF KOREA (ROK) TRANSFORMATION [pdf page 4]

We continue to work with the Republic of Korea to realign and enhance U.S. force posture to ensure an effective and sustainable long-term presence on the Korean Peninsula which underlies our steadfast commitment to the defense of the ROK. Although the ROK is providing much of the funding for the planned changes, MILCON funds are needed for some facility construction and infrastructure.

The United States will develop a more capable and responsive U.S. and combined force posture in the ROK to strengthen the alliance’s deterrent and defense capabilities and long-term capacity for regional and global defense cooperation. Projects for the Land Partnership Plan and the Yongsan Relocation Plan include relocating U.S. troops out of downtown Seoul, returning the majority of Yongsan Army Garrison to the ROK, and consolidating our troops into two primary hubs south of Seoul. This effort sustains a strong U.S. combat presence on the Peninsula, while lessening the intrusiveness of our force presence in major urban centers like Seoul. We anticipate the ROK continuing to fund much of the facilities and infrastructure construction for this USFK realignment. For FY11, ROK Transformation includes the relocation of an Air Force heavy engineer construction unit to Guam. Eight million is requested to construct a headquarters facility at Andersen AFB for this engineer unit.

...

SUSTAINMENT MILCON – QUALITY OF LIFE [pdf page 8]

Quality of Life for our activity duty Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and their dependents continues to be a key enabler and retention factor for these Americans serving overseas often thousands of miles and many time zones away from family and loved ones. FY11, $644 million of requested Quality of Life MILCON will ensure we provide adequate housing, medical facilities, and recreation opportunities to these men, women and their families. MARFORPAC requests $30 million to replace an undersized and outdated fitness center at Camp H.M. Smith Hawaii. US Forces Korea seeks $20 million to upgrade utility systems at Camp Walker.

Bachelor Housing: In FY11, USPACOM requests $346 million for six barracks projects. PACAF plans to construct a student barracks worth $12 million at the Pacific Regional Training Center at Andersen AFB Guam. USARPAC seeks $216 million in Hawaii to renovate and construct barracks at Schofield Barracks and Tripler Army Medical Center. Naval Station San Diego California requests $75 million to construct junior enlisted quarters. Finally, MARFORPAC requires $43 million for bachelor enlisted quarters at Camp Pendleton.

...

Medical: $70 million is required in Guam to support the second increment of replacement of the outdated 1950s era hospital. When complete the hospital will provide modern state of the art medical services for activity duty members and dependents including the planned additional Marine personnel. Camp Carroll in Korea requires $20 million to provide a consolidated health-dental clinic.

http://appropriations.house.gov/Witness_testimony/MC/Robert_Willard.3.24.10.pdf

Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies

3/24/10

Hearing- Pacific Command
10:00 AM, H143, The Capitol

- Admiral Robert F. Willard, U.S. Navy, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command(Testimony)
- General Walter “Skip” Sharp, Commander, Republic of Korea-United States Combined Forces Command, and Commander, United States Forces Korea(Testimony)

http://appropriations.house.gov/Subcommittees/sub_mivet.shtml

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House Armed Services Committee

Ike Skelton, Chairman http://armedservices.house.gov

For Immediate Release: March 25, 2010 Contact: Lara Battles or Jennifer Kohl

202-225-2539

Opening Statement of Chairman Ike Skelton

Hearing on the FY 2011 Budget Requests from U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea

Washington, D.C. – House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) delivered the following opening statement during today’s hearing on the Fiscal Year 2011 budget requests from U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea:

“Today the committee will continue its posture hearings with Admiral Robert Willard, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command and General “Skip” Sharp, Commander of U.S. Forces Korea. At the outset, I want to welcome you both back to the committee, and thank you for your excellent leadership. I also want to thank the troops that you lead, along with their families, for their incredible service and personal sacrifice.

“There is an ever present danger that we in Washington are so focused on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq that security challenges elsewhere in the world will not get the attention they merit. More concretely, as a result of the last nine years of operations, the readiness posture of all the combatant commands outside the Middle East has suffered, creating heightened strategic risk. There are clear examples of these problems in the Asia-Pacific, and I believe that we ignore them at our peril.

“Let me review just a few of the daunting challenges ahead in the Asia-Pacific. The rebasing of U.S. Marines from Japan to Guam is one of the largest movements of military assets in decades, estimated to cost over ten billion dollars. The changes being planned as part of that move will not only affect our bilateral relationship with Japan; they will shape our strategic posture throughout the critical Asia-Pacific region for 50 years or more.

“Yet the path forward remains unclear. Japan is reassessing the agreement to move troops from Okinawa to Guam. It does not appear that the budget includes sufficient funds to accomplish the agreement -- and the Environmental Protection Agency has identified problems with the rebasing plan’s environmental impacts. We must get this right, and I assure you that this committee will work to ensure that we do.

“Last year North Korea launched a Taepo-Dong-2 missile over Japan; conducted a second nuclear test; kicked out inspectors; pulled out of the Six Party Talks; and restarted its nuclear facilities. All of this occurred in the context of an uncertain leadership and succession environment that may have fed some of these very concerning events.

“At the same time, our presence in South Korea is transforming. We are undertaking tour normalizations in Korea and substantially relocating our forces, an effort we will hear today has now been postponed for several years. There are also questions about how the new U.S.-South Korea command relationship, starting in 2012, will work. I am most interested in an update on these issues during today’s discussion.

“Never to be forgotten in this region, of course, is China. China recently suspended high-level military and other contacts with the U.S. in response to a U.S. arms sale to Taiwan. While China’s announced defense budget increase for this year is less than it has been in the past, their budget is still growing rapidly and the linkage between their stated strategic intentions and their actions remains unclear in certain areas. China conducted an unexpected mid-course missile interception test earlier this year- and reports of cyber-attacks from China against Google and other large U.S. companies continue to be troubling.

“We must be proactively engaged in the Asia-Pacific region on multiple fronts, and realize that our own actions may well influence the choices and actions of others. We must be able to pursue opportunities for security cooperation with regional allies and partners. At the same time, we must ensure that our force posture allows us to deter or to confront any security challenge that might emerge in this part of the world. We have difficult work to do to get there. I am pleased that the Department of Defense and Obama administration have already taken a number of positive steps in this direction and I hope to see more as we move forward.

“I now turn to my able Ranking Member, Buck McKeon, for any statement he may wish to make.”