‘No feedback on Tinian military use’

While the U.S. military sees an increased buildup in the Marianas, no specific plan is mentioned about the use of Tinian as a military headquarters.

U.S. Naval Forces Marianas Commander Charles J. Leidig said that he is not aware of any particular plan for Tinian, but he said that the island is included in the areas to be evaluated for military trainings.

“We’re looking at opportunities for training in the whole region. Tinian is included in the plan [Range Complex Management Plan],” said Leidig during the Saipan Chamber of Commerce general meeting Wednesday.

Also, the naval commander said he is not aware of a petition by the Tinian local government to revive an old military plan that aimed to convert Tinian into a military base.

“I’m not aware. An old military plan?” he responded when asked about this.

Tinian local officials earlier said that a petition is circulating on the island, urging the military to pursue its military use plan for Tinian.

“We have a petition circulating here in support of the permanent military base here. We want the military to do something on Tinian,” said Tinian Francisco M. Borja in an earlier interview.

The CNMI Senate passed this year a resolution asking the federal government to revive its military plans in the Northern Marianas.

Tinian’s Sen. Joseph Mendiola, in Senate Resolution 14-48, said that setting up a permanent U.S. military base in the CNMI is pursuant to the 1976 Covenant with the United States. The resolution cited that the most important factor in negotiating the Covenant that created the CNMI in political union with the U.S. was the acquisition of Tinian land totaling over 17, 799 acres for U.S. military use.

It cited that in 1971, the U.S. Department of Defense had presented a $114-million project for Tinian. Under the plan, a military installation would be put in place with B-52 reflex capabilities, a cargo aircraft thru-put capabilities, a logistics complex, a port complex, and the development of a maneuver area.

In 1972, the department reiterated the importance of Tinian in a briefing paper, saying that Tinian land “is a definite and real requirement, whose attainment may very well be possible now, but extremely difficult in the future.”

In 1973, U.S. Deputy Representative for Micronesian Status Negotiations James Wilson had stated that “Tinian’s military base would be developed in several stages” and that ultimately, it would consist of 2,600 military and civilian personnel, plus at least 300 direct hires from the local community.

The Senate resolution also said that U.S. officials had instructed military services to develop programming proposals for Tinian to be included in the construction program for fiscal year 1974.

Further, the resolution cited that the Defense Department had approved in August 1973 a programming plan for Tinian base and the Air Force had allocated $279,000 for planning and surveys.

During World War II, the U.S. military used Tinian to launch its atomic attacks against Japan.

Tinian people “have sacrificed economic development in the prime portions of its land in return for the promise of a fully functional U.S. military installation,” the resolution said.

The Senate said that a copy of the resolution would be transmitted to President Bush, U.S. Congress, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, and various military officials.