Military aims to lease Southern Guam land for missile defense

BY MAUREEN N. MARATITA
Journal Staff

The U.S. military aims to use 16 sites in Guam for missile defense.

Eminent domain, or the compulsory purchase of land is not now a consideration, according to John M. Bier, program director for the Command and Control, Battle Management and Communications Program, Missile Defense Agency.

Speaking at a media conference on Nov. 14, Bier said that instead a couple of properties in Malesso' adjacent to sites would ideally be leased, but that property owners would still be able to use the land.

(From left) John M. Bier, program director for the Command and Control, Battle Management and Communications Program, Missile Defense Agency; Rear Adm. Brent DeVore, commander, Joint Region Marianas; and Brig. Gen. Patrick M. Costello, commanding general, 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. Photo by Maureen N. Maratita.

He told the Journal that if property owners were not interested in an arrangement for a site, “Then we’d have to revisit that.”

Brig. Gen. Patrick M. Costello, commanding general, 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command; said, “First and foremost,” the siting of a missile defense system in Guam “is about defense of the homeland.”

However, he told the paper, the defense system could also be used for other nearby islands. “There is some capacity that extends to the Northern Mariana Islands,” he said. If necessary, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would make that decision, Costello said.

“Right now, we have 100 soldiers here,” Costello said. Approximately 700 soldiers are expected to be stationed in Guam. “Mostly the operation systems would be run by soldiers,” he said, with one or two contractors supplementing that workforce.

As to housing for incoming soldiers, Rear Adm. Brent DeVore, commander, Joint Region Marianas; said at the media conference that issues such as housing are discussed with the Government of Guam at meetings of the Civil-Military Coordination Council. “We’ve continued to expand how we’re addressing those issues.”

DeVore recognized the housing shortage on-island. “We’re mindful of that,” he said.

DeVore referred to the Request for Information issued by Naval Facilities Engineering and Systems Command Pacific in February, which seeks housing solutions for military personnel in Guam. See: Guam housing RFI looks to meet buildup housing needs/mbjguam.com

“We received 21 responses to that,” the admiral said. “The next step would be a Request for Proposals,” he said. Some 500 to 1,000 homes would be “inside the fence,” he said.

Members of the public began to arrive from 4 p.m. for the public display and comment session for the Draft Environmental Impact Study for the Enhance Integrated Air and Missile Defense System on Guam, held at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa on Nov. 14. Photo by Maureen N. Maratita

The three officials met with media prior to the public display and comment session for the Draft Environmental Impact Study for the Enhance Integrated Air and Missile Defense System on Guam at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa. Subject experts flew to the island from Hawaii and U.S. mainland states for the public displays and included Buff L. Crosby, director for Environmental Management and members of her team from the Missile Defense Agency in Huntsville, Ala.

A display and comment session is due to be held Nov. 15 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Dededo Senior Center. A Nov. 13 session in Hågat was canceled due to Tropical Storm Man-yi’s approach to Guam. Comments may also be submitted until Jan. 8. To learn more, visit the MDA site at www.mda.mil/system/elamd.

The EIS analyzed multiple factors, including the impact of the missile defense system on cultural resources, land use and recreation, as well as socioeconomic factors and the impact on utilities and water resources. mbj