Increased presence of the military seen in Marianas

With the anticipated relocation of thousands of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam, the U.S. military’s operations in the Marianas and the entire Western Pacific region will continue to build up, said U.S. Naval Forces Marianas commander Rear Admiral Charles J. Leidig.

Leidig, who was guest in yesterday’s Saipan Chamber of Commerce general meeting at Saipan World Resort, also disclosed that the U.S. military will conduct “war trainings” in the Marianas.

This means, he said, that there would be increased presence in the region of U.S. military personnel and its allied forces.

“We’ll do war trainings in the Marianas. …Allied forces [will be] coming here in the Western Pacific for training,” said Leidig.

This, he said, highlights the active participation of the region in the global war on terror, or GWOT.

“We continue to support GWOT. We’ll maintain our base in Guam. We’ll have increased military presence throughout the region,” said Leidig.

He said there are 7,000 Marines from Okinawa who will be transferred to Guam and Hawaii, and possibly in another area.

“We’re still working on the exact number [of Marines relocating to Guam] and the exact timeline,” he said.

This movement, he said, would translate to increased naval operations in the region.

He said that COMNAVMAR would do an infrastructure review of the Western Pacific—Guam, the CNMI, Palau, Federated States of Micronesia—to accommodate the increased military buildup.

He said the military is looking at opportunities in the CNMI for training under its Range Complex Management Plan.

Right now, he said the military is involved in the renovation of the Army Reserve Center as well as the construction of a Veteran Cemetery on Saipan.

He said the CNMI would continue to host ship visits, adding that the CNMI has been a “great” host to the U.S. military visitors.

“That’s a factor [to getting] increased visits. They enjoy their liberty here,” the admiral said.

He said there is has been a 50-percent increase in the number of ship visits to the CNMI compared with prior years. This trend contributes positively to the local economy. He said that a military personnel on a two- to three-day liberty call spends at least $300.

COMNAVMAR, which is based in Guam, oversees the U.S. Navy’s largest and most strategic base in the Western Pacific.