thedrifter
12-10-08, 08:54 AM
Tinian to have base-eventually
Bice says plan may take years but it will get there
By Kristi Eaton
Reporter
As part of the Guam military buildup, Tinian will eventually have a military base, the director of the Joint Guam Program Office recently said.
The base is several years in the making and the timeline has yet to be finalized, but the island will eventually be home to a warm base, where the Marines will stay during training sessions and then leave, JGPO director David Bice said.
The base would include barracks and a dining hall with civilian employees.
Under the proposed Guam military buildup, approximately 8,000 U.S. Marines and 9,000 dependents will be transferred from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam.
Construction of new defense facilities is slated to start in 2010, with the relocation to be completed in 2014.
The military is still drafting the CNMI's master plan and waiting for an environmental impact study that could alter plans. The master plan and National Environmental Policy Act review go hand in hand, Bice said.
Guam has currently undergone six revisions of their master plan.
Bice said some issues, such as airspace, have impacted initials plans for Tinian.
The military also is considering the island of Pagan as well as other areas in the CNMI for the buildup, Bice said, adding that there are three short- and long-term goals being considered. The short-term is considering what the military needs in order to train Marines. The second goal is focusing on how to enhance training and the third goal is looking at long-term training needs in the western Pacific.
Budget
In 2005, when the United States and Japan entered into an agreement, the cost of the buildup was expected to run $10.2 billion. But, Bice said, due to inflation factors, the buildup will more likely cost $15 to $16 billion.
The economic downtown in Japan continues to be monitored, he said.
“There's no immediate effect, but one cannot ignore it,” he added.
It has been reported that Japan agreed to contribute about $6 billion for the transfer.
Fiscal year 2010 budgets are being prepared and will be presented to President George Bush. President-elect Barack Obama could amend it.
Federalization's impact
Bice said he is cognizant of Gov. Benigno Fitial's concern about federalization and has been in communication with him.
The military is counting on the visa waiver provision of the CNMI immigration law to help Guam meet the labor demands of the construction boom needed for the relocation. There are 5,600 construction workers currently available in Guam today, but a study by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, the Defense Department's construction execution agent in Guam, estimates that 6,000 to 20,000 off-island workers will be required to reach the necessary workforce strength.
Some of those workers will come from Hawaii or the mainland, but the Defense Department is working with the Department of Labor to possibly bring in 6,000 workers using the H visa provision, Bice said.
During a presentation on federalization last week, CNMI lawyer Maya Kara said the transition period, which begins June 1, 2009, could be delayed but that the Defense Department was placing pressure on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to keep the date as scheduled in order to meet the workforce needs for the buildup.
Ellie
Bice says plan may take years but it will get there
By Kristi Eaton
Reporter
As part of the Guam military buildup, Tinian will eventually have a military base, the director of the Joint Guam Program Office recently said.
The base is several years in the making and the timeline has yet to be finalized, but the island will eventually be home to a warm base, where the Marines will stay during training sessions and then leave, JGPO director David Bice said.
The base would include barracks and a dining hall with civilian employees.
Under the proposed Guam military buildup, approximately 8,000 U.S. Marines and 9,000 dependents will be transferred from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam.
Construction of new defense facilities is slated to start in 2010, with the relocation to be completed in 2014.
The military is still drafting the CNMI's master plan and waiting for an environmental impact study that could alter plans. The master plan and National Environmental Policy Act review go hand in hand, Bice said.
Guam has currently undergone six revisions of their master plan.
Bice said some issues, such as airspace, have impacted initials plans for Tinian.
The military also is considering the island of Pagan as well as other areas in the CNMI for the buildup, Bice said, adding that there are three short- and long-term goals being considered. The short-term is considering what the military needs in order to train Marines. The second goal is focusing on how to enhance training and the third goal is looking at long-term training needs in the western Pacific.
Budget
In 2005, when the United States and Japan entered into an agreement, the cost of the buildup was expected to run $10.2 billion. But, Bice said, due to inflation factors, the buildup will more likely cost $15 to $16 billion.
The economic downtown in Japan continues to be monitored, he said.
“There's no immediate effect, but one cannot ignore it,” he added.
It has been reported that Japan agreed to contribute about $6 billion for the transfer.
Fiscal year 2010 budgets are being prepared and will be presented to President George Bush. President-elect Barack Obama could amend it.
Federalization's impact
Bice said he is cognizant of Gov. Benigno Fitial's concern about federalization and has been in communication with him.
The military is counting on the visa waiver provision of the CNMI immigration law to help Guam meet the labor demands of the construction boom needed for the relocation. There are 5,600 construction workers currently available in Guam today, but a study by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, the Defense Department's construction execution agent in Guam, estimates that 6,000 to 20,000 off-island workers will be required to reach the necessary workforce strength.
Some of those workers will come from Hawaii or the mainland, but the Defense Department is working with the Department of Labor to possibly bring in 6,000 workers using the H visa provision, Bice said.
During a presentation on federalization last week, CNMI lawyer Maya Kara said the transition period, which begins June 1, 2009, could be delayed but that the Defense Department was placing pressure on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to keep the date as scheduled in order to meet the workforce needs for the buildup.
Ellie