thedrifter
05-24-06, 06:48 AM
Article published May 24, 2006
Lt. general answers questions
By Steve Limtiaco
Pacific Daily News
slimtiaco@guampdn.com
Air Force Lt. Gen. Daniel Leaf, deputy commander of U.S. Pacific Command, sat down with the Pacific Daily News yesterday afternoon to provide additional details about the transfer of Marines to Guam.
Question: (Defense Deputy Undersecretary Richard Lawless) talked about (an increase) not just of (Marines), but also of Navy and Air Force. Are we seeing that now, or is there more to come as far as the Navy and the Air Force are concerned?
Leaf: "We have programs in work to establish a strike and intelligence surveillance reconnaissance hub at Andersen that will involve some (increases), the same with the expansion of the Navy mission. Here, the Navy mission will have to expand to handle embarkation and etcetera of the Marines as they flow through the harbor, along with the sub base and everything else. So they're ongoing programs, they're not necessarily directly related to the Marine build-up, but they're on the books now. Our planning for the Marine build-up is intended to ensure that they're all compatible, they're all integrated. So the planning for the Marine build-up is taking into consideration the Navy and Air Force programs.
Q: What about an aircraft carrier for Guam?
L:That's a Department of the Navy issue. They're considering the potential need for another carrier in the Pacific. That's a ways off. I'd point out that with 8,000 Marines, you've basically got two carriers' worth. So this is a substantial increase in the Marine presence, in the military presence on Guam.
Q:Guam infrastructure -- power and water. It was mentioned that a lot of emphasis will be placed on infrastructure, family housing. Will the current residents benefit from those improvements or is that strictly for military purposes only? Are you going to do your own (water) wells, your own power plants, dedicated sewer, water lines?
L:For infrastructure, even though the investment that we'll make is principally on elements on DOD land, infrastructure is necessarily a network, so there will be some benefits. And there will need to be some investment -- the government of Guam has already identified and is improving the off-base infrastructure. So we'll improve our capacity in various things like power, water, perhaps sewage. And if we integrate that as we intend to with the government of Guam efforts that enhance their infrastructure capability, then there should be mutually beneficial outcome from the investment on DOD property ... They're not gonna be isolated. We'll put most of our investment on base, but there will be benefits off-base.
Q:Right now there are caps on the number of foreign workers that can be brought to Guam. Local construction companies are concerned they might not have enough of a work force here to take advantage of these projects as they come up. They are seeking a lifting of caps, or exemptions for these projects. Is that something the military might support?
L:There has been discussion about the need for foreign workers. Frankly, we're too early in the planning to either verify or set a number to that. As we look at that, we'll have some key considerations: Are we making the best use of the work force on Guam? Could we get more use of the work force on Guam by providing some training programs? Are there Guam natives who moved elsewhere to seek employment that we might bring back? That's kind of the first approach to labor. Then, if we bring laborers from elsewhere, we've gotta look at how we do that with minimal negative impact to the community and without denying jobs to qualified and trained residents of Guam.
Q:Is the military considering the Northern Mariana Islands also as host to military forces -- aside from just training?
L:We're considering the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for training opportunities at this time.
Q:There's been talk that part of the spending here would be $1 billion for a road. What do you know about that?
L:There is an identified need for improved transportation, which would include a highway. The $1 billion identified... is a rough-ordered magnitude cost and does not have associated with it any detailed planning about exactly where it would be and what its nature would be.
Q:What's the purpose of the road?
L:Once we bring additional forces to Guam, we'll need to be able to move both people, supplies and equipment from north to south, south to north on the island, whether it's for training or to deploy out of the harbor. And we want to do that with minimal impact on the community and expeditiously. The current road structure doesn't really allow for that very well. So that's an area we believe we'll have to invest in.
Q:Have you ruled out creating a new road, or are you considering expanding or improving existing routes? Or is it a combination?
L:We haven't ruled out either, and we haven't come close to deciding. That's an area that needs a great deal of study and consideration. The joint Guam military master plan is not final. I know there's frustration in the community about how much information they don't have. Until that plan is final ... and we have secured funding, then we get into the execution details.
Q:Have you decided where the Marines and their families are going to live and work?
L:We've identified a couple of different options in our draft plan, but because it's draft and not finally approved I'm not ready to tell you where they'll be. The commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Bill Fallon, will have to approve that ... DOD land that is already held by DOD should be sufficient for both the units and the family housing.
Q:They started planning for a new high school before this was announced. Are the schools going to be adequate here?
L:We know that there will have to be increased ... facilities that support the families. We're beginning planning with (DODEA), with people like the ... exchange system and shopping centers and all the other entities that provide quality of life facilities.
Ellie
Lt. general answers questions
By Steve Limtiaco
Pacific Daily News
slimtiaco@guampdn.com
Air Force Lt. Gen. Daniel Leaf, deputy commander of U.S. Pacific Command, sat down with the Pacific Daily News yesterday afternoon to provide additional details about the transfer of Marines to Guam.
Question: (Defense Deputy Undersecretary Richard Lawless) talked about (an increase) not just of (Marines), but also of Navy and Air Force. Are we seeing that now, or is there more to come as far as the Navy and the Air Force are concerned?
Leaf: "We have programs in work to establish a strike and intelligence surveillance reconnaissance hub at Andersen that will involve some (increases), the same with the expansion of the Navy mission. Here, the Navy mission will have to expand to handle embarkation and etcetera of the Marines as they flow through the harbor, along with the sub base and everything else. So they're ongoing programs, they're not necessarily directly related to the Marine build-up, but they're on the books now. Our planning for the Marine build-up is intended to ensure that they're all compatible, they're all integrated. So the planning for the Marine build-up is taking into consideration the Navy and Air Force programs.
Q: What about an aircraft carrier for Guam?
L:That's a Department of the Navy issue. They're considering the potential need for another carrier in the Pacific. That's a ways off. I'd point out that with 8,000 Marines, you've basically got two carriers' worth. So this is a substantial increase in the Marine presence, in the military presence on Guam.
Q:Guam infrastructure -- power and water. It was mentioned that a lot of emphasis will be placed on infrastructure, family housing. Will the current residents benefit from those improvements or is that strictly for military purposes only? Are you going to do your own (water) wells, your own power plants, dedicated sewer, water lines?
L:For infrastructure, even though the investment that we'll make is principally on elements on DOD land, infrastructure is necessarily a network, so there will be some benefits. And there will need to be some investment -- the government of Guam has already identified and is improving the off-base infrastructure. So we'll improve our capacity in various things like power, water, perhaps sewage. And if we integrate that as we intend to with the government of Guam efforts that enhance their infrastructure capability, then there should be mutually beneficial outcome from the investment on DOD property ... They're not gonna be isolated. We'll put most of our investment on base, but there will be benefits off-base.
Q:Right now there are caps on the number of foreign workers that can be brought to Guam. Local construction companies are concerned they might not have enough of a work force here to take advantage of these projects as they come up. They are seeking a lifting of caps, or exemptions for these projects. Is that something the military might support?
L:There has been discussion about the need for foreign workers. Frankly, we're too early in the planning to either verify or set a number to that. As we look at that, we'll have some key considerations: Are we making the best use of the work force on Guam? Could we get more use of the work force on Guam by providing some training programs? Are there Guam natives who moved elsewhere to seek employment that we might bring back? That's kind of the first approach to labor. Then, if we bring laborers from elsewhere, we've gotta look at how we do that with minimal negative impact to the community and without denying jobs to qualified and trained residents of Guam.
Q:Is the military considering the Northern Mariana Islands also as host to military forces -- aside from just training?
L:We're considering the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for training opportunities at this time.
Q:There's been talk that part of the spending here would be $1 billion for a road. What do you know about that?
L:There is an identified need for improved transportation, which would include a highway. The $1 billion identified... is a rough-ordered magnitude cost and does not have associated with it any detailed planning about exactly where it would be and what its nature would be.
Q:What's the purpose of the road?
L:Once we bring additional forces to Guam, we'll need to be able to move both people, supplies and equipment from north to south, south to north on the island, whether it's for training or to deploy out of the harbor. And we want to do that with minimal impact on the community and expeditiously. The current road structure doesn't really allow for that very well. So that's an area we believe we'll have to invest in.
Q:Have you ruled out creating a new road, or are you considering expanding or improving existing routes? Or is it a combination?
L:We haven't ruled out either, and we haven't come close to deciding. That's an area that needs a great deal of study and consideration. The joint Guam military master plan is not final. I know there's frustration in the community about how much information they don't have. Until that plan is final ... and we have secured funding, then we get into the execution details.
Q:Have you decided where the Marines and their families are going to live and work?
L:We've identified a couple of different options in our draft plan, but because it's draft and not finally approved I'm not ready to tell you where they'll be. The commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Bill Fallon, will have to approve that ... DOD land that is already held by DOD should be sufficient for both the units and the family housing.
Q:They started planning for a new high school before this was announced. Are the schools going to be adequate here?
L:We know that there will have to be increased ... facilities that support the families. We're beginning planning with (DODEA), with people like the ... exchange system and shopping centers and all the other entities that provide quality of life facilities.
Ellie