Text Fwd: [Guam] Buildup Projects Detailed

Workers of Watts Constructors covers a newly poured form to shield it from a rain shower approaching their precast yard in Agat on March 18. About $1 billion in buildup projects are set to be awarded now that the Programmatic Agreement has been signed. / Rick Cruz/Pacific Daily News/rmcruz@guampdn.com

* Text from Martha Duenas on March 25, 2011

Pacific Daily News
Buildup Projects Detailed
Brett Kellman
March 24, 2011

Nine buildup construction projects that will create Marine facilities in Finegayan, Apra Harbor and Andersen Air Force Base finally can move forward now that the programmatic agreement has been signed.

Yesterday, Naval Facilities Marianas released a statement detailing some of the projects, which amount to about $1 billion in total cost. Projects can now be awarded to contractors, who can begin designing or building complexes that Marines will use when they relocate from Okinawa to Guam in coming years.

"The signing of the PA is an important milestone," said Joe Ludovici, executive director of the Joint Guam Program Office, in the statement. "We are looking forward to continuing to work with the people of Guam and the business community to deliver the requirements for the relocating Marines."

All of these projects were funded by either the federal government or the government of Japan in past fiscal years, but their progress hinged on approval of the programmatic agreement. Now the projects have all the funding and approval they need, so the military is ready to award the jobs.

Two projects were awarded last September but they could not begin physical work before the agreement was signed.

Of these nine projects, the most expensive projects will start work on the Finegayan Marine Base, the future home of about 8,000 Marines who will move from Okinawa to Guam.

According to Guam Buildup Office documents, which provided estimated costs for each of the nine projects, about $630 million of Japan government money will be spent to get the base started. This money will pay for two phases of utility installation and "site improvements" in Finegayan.

The first contract will be awarded this summer.

In addition to laying power, water and sewer lines, whichever companies are hired to do this work also will build primary roads, hang street lights, install communication lines and build two checkpoints that will allow access to the base, according online Navy procurement documents.

Andersen

The first phase of the project also includes construction of a new gate at Andersen Air Force Base -- along Route 9 near Machanaonao Elementary School -- which will allow Marines to access a new aviation training complex.

The aviation complex will be at a portion of Andersen Air Force Base called "North Ramp," which already houses Navy helicopter operations but has room for expansion. Ultimately, the Marine complex will consist of about 20 new buildings and about 25 stationed aircraft, according to the final Environmental Impact Statement.

Contracts for the groundwork for this aviation complex -- which consists of utility installation and aviation parking -- will be awarded in April.

These two contacts amount to about $111 million, but they are only the beginning of the money that will be spent at the North Ramp complex.

Final approval of the programmatic agreement also unlocks projects in Apra Harbor, some of which have been stuck in limbo for months.

Apra Harbor

The Guam Buildup Office documents show that the military plans to spend about $213 million on three or four projects -- wharf improvements, a military work dog facility, a waterfront headquarters and a medical clinic.

These facilities are part of a waterfront training complex that will be built in Apra Harbor, where Marines will practice amphibious assaults at least four times a year, for about three weeks at a time, according to the Final EIS.

About a dozen armored amphibious vehicles -- plus inflatable speedboats and reconnaissance rafts -- will be stationed on Guam, the final EIS states. Training sessions could attract larger vessels such as destroyers, cruisers and large amphibious hovercraft that are capable of carrying several military trucks.

Overall, the Marine facilities in Finegayan, Andersen and Apra Harbor have a long way to go, but the nine buildup projects that can now move forward will start work in all three locations.

"We are pleased that the Navy can move forward with some of the initial work," Capt. Peter Lynch, commanding officer of Naval Facilities Marianas, said in the statement. "These projects allow mission-essential infrastructure for the Guam realignment to proceed with a solid agreement to protect the valuable cultural resources on Guam and Tinian and stimulate economic growth in the region."

Text Fwd: Guam: Small Pacific Island Becoming A U.S. Strategic Hub 괌, 작은 태평양 섬, 미국의 전략적 허브가 되다.

* Image source: Minagahet Chamorro blog on Sept. 23, 2010
_________________________________________________________

* Text from Rick Rozoff on Sept. 23, 2010

CNSNews
September 22, 2010
Small Pacific Island Becoming A U.S. Strategic Hub
By Patrick Goodenough
__________________________________________________________

-Guam, which is currently home to U.S. Navy facilities and Andersen Air Force Base, has long been a functional forward-deployed location for the military, and in 2000 became the first installation outside the continental U.S. to store long-range air-launched cruise missiles, easily accessible in the event of a future conflict in the region.

-In another sign of its growing importance, Andersen on Monday became the first permanent U.S. base to deploy an RQ-4 Global Hawk, the advanced unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft slated in time to replace the venerable U-2 spy plane.

Andersen is scheduled to get three Global Hawks, which are capable of flying at high altitudes for long-distance missions lasting 30 hours or more, tracking moving targets and intercepting ground communications.
__________________________________________________________

The signing of a document on Guam Tuesday marked the beginning of a historic build-up of U.S. military assets on the small Pacific island, part of an alignment of forces designed to better handle future security challenges in a key part of the world.

The plan calls for the relocation to Guam of 8,600 U.S. Marines and their estimated 9,000 dependents, from Japan’s Okinawa some 1,400 miles to the northwest; the construction of a deepwater wharf capable of accommodating visiting nuclear-powered aircraft carriers; and the development of a U.S. Army air and missile defense facility, to provide a defensive umbrella for the military assets.

Some Marine training facilities also are expected to be built on Tinian island, 100 miles to the north – part of the Northern Marianas, a U.S. commonwealth.

Guam, which is currently home to U.S. Navy facilities and Andersen Air Force Base, has long been a functional forward-deployed location for the military, and in 2000 became the first installation outside the continental U.S. to store long-range air-launched cruise missiles, easily accessible in the event of a future conflict in the region.

But now it is on track to become a much more important strategic hub and staging point for the U.S. as the closest military presence on U.S. soil to regional hot spots such as North Korea and the Taiwan Strait. Guam is about 3,700 miles closer to the Korean peninsula than is Hawaii.

Being U.S. territory, Guam also meets the “freedom of action” requirement, the absence of which has at times hampered U.S. forces based in America’s main regional military allies, Japan and South Korea.

In another sign of its growing importance, Andersen on Monday became the first permanent U.S. base to deploy an RQ-4 Global Hawk, the advanced unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft slated in time to replace the venerable U-2 spy plane.

Andersen is scheduled to get three Global Hawks, which are capable of flying at high altitudes for long-distance missions lasting 30 hours or more, tracking moving targets and intercepting ground communications.
....
At Naval Base Guam on Tuesday, a U.S. Navy “record of decision” was signed, marking what the Joint Guam Program Office (JGPO) executive director, retired Marine Maj. Gen. David Bice, called the “transition point” for the major project.

When then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited Guam during a 2003 visit to Northeast Asia to first discuss force repositioning options Gov. Felix Camacho and Guam’s congressional delegate, Madeleine Bordallo, urged him to consider deploying more U.S. personnel there. They also wanted the Pentagon to choose Guam over Hawaii as the homeport for the first nuclear-powered carrier to be permanently stationed outside the continental U.S.

Although they did not get their wish on the carrier homeport – Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan was chosen instead to house the USS George Washington – Guam will see a significant influx of military personnel and dependents in the coming years.

The report signed Tuesday estimates that the population increase on Guam will total around 34,000, although it will reach double that for a limited period while construction work is underway.

The influx will have a big impact on the island, which is about three times the size of Washington, D.C., and has a population of around 178,000 people, about 40 percent of them indigenous Chamorros.

....
Two sensitive aspects of the plans relate to the location of a live-fire training range near an ancient Chamorro village, raising heritage preservation concerns; and the impact of the carrier berth on coral reefs. The document signed Tuesday deferred final decisions on those two issues, allowing more time for consultation and marine surveys of possible alternative berth sites.

The U.S. Marines’ move to Guam by 2014 is part of a broader bilateral agreement with Japan, aimed at reducing the U.S. military footprint on Okinawa while retaining U.S. commitments to provide for the defense and security of Japan. As such, Japan agreed in 2006 to carry just under 60 percent of the costs of the relocation.
===========================
Stop NATO
Blog site

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.
________________________________________________________________

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

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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.”

Text fwd: Democracy Thwarts U.S. Base Plans

* Text fwd by Jean Downy and Corazon Valdez Fabros on Feb. 12, 2010

Foreign Policy in Focus
Democracy Thwarts U.S. Base Plans
By Christine Ahn and Gwyn Kirk, February 10, 2010

This March, the Obamas will touch down in the U.S. territory of Guam, en route to Australia and Indonesia. It’s a big deal for this tiny Pacific island seven-and-a-half hours by plane from Hawaii and, according to airport placards, “where America’s day begins.” Two senators from Guam, Judith P. Guthertz and Rory J. Respicio, have already written to ask the president “to meet a few of your fellow Americans,” instead of the typical orchestrated “pit stop” behind the gates of Andersen Air Force Base.

Obama’s stop-over may be designed to smooth the difficult road ahead for the U.S. military. The Pentagon is shifting bases and soldiers in the Asia Pacific — not surprisingly, without consent of the residents of these countries. But it’s not just local people in Guam, South Korea, Okinawa, and elsewhere who are affected by the increased militarization of the region. The natural environment is at risk through military contamination and through the high military use of oil, an important factor in climate change.

Guam-Okinawa Connection

The Bush administration made plans to shift 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa (Japan) to Guam. In addition to support staff, contractors and family members, the total number will be closer to 50,000 people.

This overall deal between the United States and Japan is estimated to cost $26 billion, with the tab largely picked up by Japan. According to the agreement, the Japanese government must fund a new state-of-the-art Marines base to be built alongside an endangered coral reef in Nago (northern Okinawa). This new facility would replace Futenma Marine Corps Air Station, which is currently situated in a dense urban area. The land would then return to Okinawa — presumably after the cleanup of environmental contamination — and 8,000 Marines would go to Guam.

Okinawans have been campaigning for years to be rid of U.S. bases, which were established at the end of World War II. These bases have been the source of noise and environmental pollution, accidents, and crime committed by U.S. soldiers, including violence against women and girls. In a 1998 referendum, Nago voters opposed the new base. When Japanese authorities tried to go ahead with the plan, activists took to their kayaks and fishing boats to block construction, and ultimately disrupted exploratory drilling of the coral reef. The Japanese government tried to find another location in Okinawa or even mainland Japan, but no community agreed to have the new Marines base in their area.

Despite the efforts of the two governments, democracy continues to get in the way of this multi-billion dollar deal between Washington and Tokyo.

On August 30, 2009, the patient and determined campaigning by the Japanese peace movement paid off. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which promised to review the U.S.-Japan military alliance, defeated the ruling coalition that had been in power for over 50 years. Many of the newly elected representatives criticized Japanese acquiescence toward U.S. foreign policy; others resented U.S. “occupation mentality.” In response, both U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and President Obama made hasty visits to Tokyo, invoking the importance of the alliance and pressing the new government to keep the Okinawa-Guam deal afloat. But the tide of public opinion had turned; the Japanese media branded Gates a “bully” and bridled at such “high-handed treatment.”

The political momentum against the relocation of the U.S. Marines base has continued to build. At the end of January 2010, Nago voters elected a mayor who is also against the base. Japanese representatives came to Washington to meet with their congressional counterparts, while in Tokyo thousands protested the proposed Marines base, thus reopening what the military assumed was a done deal.

Resistance in Guam

Despite increasing opposition to the transfer of thousands of U.S. troops, the people of Guam are constrained in their ability to influence the political process. Since the Spanish-American War of 1898, the United States has controlled Guam (or Guåhan in the Chamorro language). With a population of 173,456 represented by one non-voting delegate in the U.S. Congress, the island is one of 16 remaining non-self-governing territories listed by the United Nations. Residents are U.S. citizens, but they are not entitled to vote in presidential elections. Most federal-territorial affairs are made in Washington, nearly 8,000 miles away.

The voices of the Guam Chamber of Commerce and other business leaders have been elevated in this process. In their view, the militarization of the island is the only viable boost to Guam’s weak economy. Contractors, from Washington, DC and Hawaii to the Philippines and Japan, are jockeying for a piece of the action. "On Capitol Hill, the conversation has been restricted to whether the jobs expected from the military construction should go to the mainland Americans, foreign workers or Guam residents," says Democracy Now reporter Juan Gonzalez. "But we rarely hear the voices and concerns of the indigenous people of Guam, who constitute over a third of the island’s population."

The U.S. military already takes up a third of the island. The additional troops will bring this up to 40 percent. Formed from two volcanoes, Guam’s rocky core constitutes an unsinkable aircraft carrier, 30 miles long and eight miles wide. Not only is the economy geared toward servicing the military, the bases are now occupying once productive land. Prior to WWII, Guam was self-sufficient in agriculture. Today, the island imports 90 percent of its food.

Listen to the People

Following the Nago election, The Washington Post quoted Lt. Gen. Keith J. Stalder, commander of U.S. Marine forces in the Pacific as saying, "National security policy cannot be made in towns and villages."

Really? Do national security and military objectives trump democracy?

Obama is both commander-in-chief of the U.S. military and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. His experience growing up in Hawaii and working as a community organizer also uniquely qualify him to listen to Guam senators and community members such as We Are Guåhan, a grassroots organization. We Are Guåhan include the voices of people from diverse ethnic and professional backgrounds, who advocate for transparency and democratic participation in decisions regarding the future of their island. Obama should hear their deep concerns about the impact of 50,000 extra people on their already weak infrastructure, fragile ecosystem, and island culture. These have been much expressed in town-hall meetings and in community responses to the military’s 11,000-page environmental impact statement.

Obama should also listen to respected historians like Hope Cristobal, a former Guam senator, and to women professional and community leaders active in Fuetsen Famalao’an, who came together out of concern over the military buildup. He should visit the Hurao School that teaches young children Chamorro language and culture. He should hear the Chamorro people’s deep love for their land as they seek to honor their ancestors and provide for their children.

The president should do more than just listen, of course. The Obama administration should rethink the expansion of bases in Okinawa, Guam, and South Korea. Washington has repeatedly stated that the transfer of 8,000 Marines to Guam will “reduce the burden” on Okinawa. So then why does the military want a new Marines base in Nago? The United States should stop the building of yet another base in Okinawa and not redirect Okinawa’s burden to Guam.

The Obama administration should do more by allocating a small fraction of the $700 billion-plus Pentagon budget to underwrite job training across the entire nation, including Guam. This money could provide residents of Guam with needed medical facilities, clean up contaminated water supplies (Andersen AFB sits on top of an underground aquifer), and provide for sustainable projects.

The U.S. Congress can also play a positive role by amending the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include Guam on the list of “downwind” areas affected by atmospheric nuclear testing in Micronesia in the 1950s. At the same time, Congress should support the Republic of the Marshall Islands Changed Circumstances Petition for adequate compensation for personal injuries, property damage, medical care, and radiological monitoring related to nuclear testing conducted in the Marshall Islands.

Elsewhere in the region, the United States should rethink the imminent plan to build a new U.S. Navy base on Jeju Island in the southern part of Korea. Villagers of Gangjeong have resisted this construction by blocking roads until their arrest by South Korean police in January 2010. This proposed base would house Aegis destroyers, outfitted with missile defense systems to target China. It would also destroy local people’s way of life and coral reefs designated by UNESCO as world heritage environmental sites.

More generally, the United States must commit to policies that support sustainable use of resources, rather than using military means to secure oil supplies and other scarce resources. The U.S. military is the greatest consumer of oil worldwide. It makes no sense to fight for oil so that the military can guzzle even more of it. Such a new policy on sustainable use of resources also requires Washington to move beyond the stalemate of the Copenhagen summit.

Obama: Be the change you promised. Someone has to have the courage to initiate a paradigm shift, using the Earth’s resources and people’s skills to provide for genuine security.

Gwyn Kirk is a founder member of Women for Genuine Security and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus. Christine Ahn is a policy and research analyst with the Global Fund for Women and a FPIF columnist.

Recommended Citation:
Christine Ahn and Gwyn Kirk, "Democracy Thwarts U.S. Base Plans" (Washington, DC: Foreign Policy In Focus, February 10, 2010)

Text Fwd: Echos Of Vietnam: Expanded Guam Air Base Targets Afghanistan

* Image source: through Google

* Image source: Guam News Factor

Image source: Guam News Factor

StopNATO
Echos Of Vietnam: Expanded Guam Air Base Targets Afghanistan
Sun Jan 10, 2010 8:36 pm (PST)

Guam News Factor
January 11, 2010

Chief Master Sgt To Guam Airmen: Get Ready To Secure Afghanistan
Written by Jeff Marchesseault

GUAM: On the heels of the arrival of 80 members of an Oklahoma-based air refueling wing to to Andersen Air Force Base in support of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is reminding Guam-based Airmen that their job isn't done in Central Asia.

Read the Guam News Factor story, "Air Units Fly To Guam To Support Wars In Iraq And Afghanistan, January 9, 2009.

In a written commentary to Airmen that was posted on the Andersen Air Force Base website recently, Chief Master Sgt. James A. Roy commended U.S. Airmen for a job well done in the Central Command Area of Responsibility (CENTCOM AOR), which includes Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the high-ranking official absolves noone of any imminent responsibility.

Recognizing that while plans may be in the works to withdraw all combat troops from Iraq in 2011, Roy said President Obama's recent deployment of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan underscores the critical role the Air Force will play in the region for the foreseeable future.

Roy is the official in charge of the U.S. Air Force's enlisted men and women and represents their interests on multiple fronts.
===========================
Stop NATO
Blog site:

Text Fwd; Fwd: Another case of Agent Orange on Guam confirmed

* Image source: as the article below*
* Text Fwd by Debbie Quinata and Agatha Haun

Marianas Variety Guam Edition
Another case confirms AO on Guam
Tuesday, 26 May 2009 00:14 by Mar-Vic Cagurangan |Variety News Staff

ANOTHER veteran who was stationed at Andersen Air Force Base from 1962 to 1965 won his claim for disability benefits ba

The decision issued by the Department of Veterans on April 16 was the fourth case won by veterans who were deployed to Guam in the 1960s. All four cases confirmed dioxin contamination at AAFB.

The Air Force veteran, who requested anonymity, has been suffering from diabetes mellitus type 2, which the Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed to be service-related.

“Service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2 is granted because the evidence shows a medical opinion that this current condition is related to in-service events or circumstances with residuals evident as shown in treatment records,” states the DVA decision.

“The statement of case issued on this matter found that the veteran was exposed to dioxin while stationed t Anderson Air Force base,” it added.

The decision was based on the medical opinion submitted by a doctor who stated that “the exposure to Agent Orange is etiologically related to the veteran’s current diabetes.”

During the Vietnam war era, Guam was used as storage facility for agent orange, a kind of chemical herbicide used to thin jungles in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. A CBS News report on June 12, 2005, said Agent Orange was sprayed on Guam from 1955 to 1960s, and in the Panama Canal Zone from 1960s to 1970s.

The first confirmation of Agent Orange presence on Guam was found in U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans’ ruling in 2005, which concluded that a veteran contracted a disease as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange while stationed on Guam in the late 1960s.


Copyright © 2009 Marianas Variety Guam Edition. All Rights Reserved.