Military Build Up On Guam

The DoD continues its efforts to reduce the number of troops permanently stationed overseas and consolidate overseas bases. The Congress directed DoD to develop and an independent monitoring of DoD¿s overseas master plans and to provide annual assessments. The Senate report accompanying the FY 2007 military construction appropriation bill directed a review of DoD¿s master planning effort for Guam as part of these annual reviews. This report examines: (1) the changes and challenges described in the FY 2009 master plans, the extent to which the plans address prior recommendations, and the plans¿ timeliness; and (2) the status of DoD¿s master planning efforts for the proposed buildup of military forces and infrastructure on Guam. Illus.

In 2004, the bilateral U.S. and Japanese Security Consultative Committee began a series of sustained security consultations to strengthen the U.S.-Japan security alliance by establishing a framework for the future of the U.S. force structure in Japan. The United States and Japan agreed to reduce the U.S. force structure in Japan while maintaining the U.S. force presence in the Pacific theater by relocating units to other areas, including Guam. As part of this effort, called the Defense Policy Review Initiative, about 8,600 Marines and 9,000 dependents were to move from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam by a projected date of 2014, as described in the bilateral agreement.1 On June 21, 2011, however, United States and Government of Japan officials noted that completion of the Marine relocation will not meet the previously targeted date of 2014, but confirmed their commitment to complete the relocation at the earliest possible date after 2014. 2 The Department of Defense (DOD) also plans to move other military forces and equipment to Guam on different schedules in implementing a new strategic approach in the Pacific as part of its worldwide Integrated Global Presence and Basing Strategy.

Military build-up on Guam : hearing before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, One Hundred Tenth Congress, second session, to receive testimony on the military build-up on Guam, impact on the civilian community, planning, and response, May 1, 2008.