Awards and opportunities abound

MilCon contracts awarded in “Oceania” and the Indian Ocean show the increasing spread of U.S. military assets.

FSM citizens have the opportunity for dual citizenship after action by the FSM Congress, with positive ramifications.

Also in this news update are US military projects in the FSM, and the Christmas Drop from Dec. 8 to Dec. 13.

US MilCon awards spread construction far and wide

The Black Construction/Mace International Joint Venture and four other companies, which include an ECC company, have been awarded a $99.5 million modification to previously awarded contracts for work in Diego Garcia, taking the contracts combined value to $448 million. Mace is a construction company headquartered in London, England.

According to a Nov. 27 release from the U.S. Department of Defense “… the modification provides for additional capacity for commercial and institutional building construction at U.S. Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia.” Work in the British Indian Ocean Territory is due to be completed by September 2026. Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Far East made the award.

Amentum Services Inc. which does business in Guam as DZSP 21, was awarded a $98.85 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for a base period, seven option periods demobilization and a six-month extension of services for “regional support services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Pacific area of operations,” to be completed by June 2033. That area includes Oceania, as well as Southeast Asia and South Asia.

The support services to Department of Defense components include conducting humanitarian and civic assistance, construction projects, contingency efforts, and supporting exercises and other projects, according to a Nov. 27 release from the U.S. Department of Defense. Two offers were received for the contract, according to the release.

Constitutional amendment returns citizenship in FSM

The Fourth Special Session of the Twenty-Third Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia enacted amendments to the FSM Code, one of which was the implementation of dual citizenship, automatically returning citizenship to is to address the matter of non-profit corporations in the Nation, and the other amendment is the implementation of rights to Dual Citizenship.

FSM nationals that lost their citizenship by not registering their intent to remain FSM citizens prior to age 21 are now automatically FSM citizens; and FSM citizens who knowingly renounced their FSM citizenship, are eligible to regain their citizenship under a naturalization process.

Previously, FSM citizens who became naturalized U.S. citizens to take advantage of veteran benefits, had to relinquish their FSM citizenship.

Up to 1,500 FSM citizens serve in U.S. forces, according to Journal files, of a population of 115,224 in 2023.

One of the main concerns for veterans in the freely associated states is healthcare and other benefits allotted to veterans from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The U.S. Veterans of Pohnpei Association estimated in 2022 that half of all veterans in the freely associated states are “fully retired” with U.S. citizenship.

However, the amendment importantly now allows FSM citizens with dual nationality to own and inherit land, which is restricted to FSM citizens only.

The FSM Congress also established incorporation requirements for non-profit corporations operating in the FSM.

In other FSM news, the Federated States of Micronesia hosted the 2024 Joint Committee Meeting with the U.S. on Nov.13 and Nov. 14 in Chuuk.