Hegseth talks regional importance, meets with FSM president
MAUREEN N. MARATITA Journal Staff
U.S. Defense Secretary Peter B. Hegseth met with Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Guam’s Delegate to Congress James C. Moylan on March 27 during his visit to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
Hegseth spoke first during the afternoon meeting with the three at Andersen, part of which was attended by the Journal and other media. “These islands are the tip of America’s spear in the Pacific. Guam and CNMI are vital parts of America and central to our defense mission,” he said. “I want to be very clear any attack against these islands is an attack against the U.S. … We would meet any attack with the appropriate response,” he said.
Hegseth Talks to the troops at Andersen Air Force Base. Photo by Skyler Obispo.
Hegseth said Guam is home to 8,000 active-duty personnel, which with civilians and family members totals 20,000. During his visit he met with what the Air Force estimated was 600 to 700 military personnel and took a helicopter tour of Guam.
“We are not seeking war with China, but it is our job to ensure we are ready,” he said.
Hegseth also addressed the U.S. military’s presence and its plans. “I’m here to let you know — as I said to the troops — we have your back; President Donald Trump has your back as well and we’re building out the mission here in the hope of generations of peace on this absolutely beautiful island,” he said.
That build-out will take some time.
On Feb. 19, at a joint meeting of the Guam Post of the Society of Military Engineers and other organizations at the Dusit Thani Guam Resort, the audience was given an update on the 47 projects under construction at Marine Corps Base Camp Blas at a cost of what the audience was told was around $2.8 billion.
As of that date, four projects had been completed.
In a Guam military construction overview, attendees at the SAME meeting were told that of 56 active projects in Guam at a cost of $3.6 billion (including $2.5 billion of Government of Japan funds, known as mamizu money) 25 projects are complete, with 32 due to commission in fiscal 2025 and seven at pre-award in fiscal 2025.
Slides from the SAME Conference at the Dusit Thani Guam Resort. Photos by Maureen N. Maratita.
Leon Guerrero was the only regional leader to speak during the part of the meeting with Hegseth attended by the island’s media.
She said the people of Guam and its children “are shouldered with the burden of peace” welcoming the “position and the posture” of President Trump.
The governor had a wish list prepared and spoke of the need for a new local hospital. “One of our asks is to be a partner in the financing of that hospital,” she said. “The importance of having a capacity is not just for the civilians, but for the military,” she said.
She also spoke of the necessity for hardening Guam’s essential infrastructure against any threat of the geopolitical situation escalating. “China is not going to win this war by missiles. China is going to win this war by taking down our port, taking down our airport, taking down our water, taking down our electricity, all those things that are necessary for the defense of our people," Leon Guerrero said.
Astro America collaborated with the U.S. Navy on a 3D printer in Guam, and Guam’s plan is now to grow a local workforce for 3D printing, so that it can become a parts hub for the region as well as service the Navy’s submarines in Guam. (From left) Gov. Arnold I Palacios, Northern Mariana Islands; Peter B. Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, United States; Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, Guam. Photo by Maureen N. Maratita.“That’s very critical also,” Leon Guerrero said, also referring to a possible funding need to see the project through. After the meeting, Leon Guerrero said of Hegseth, “He left the meeting saying they’re making investments in this part of the world.” The defense secretary said he’d taken good notes and heard some of the message, she said.
Palacios told the Journal after the meeting that there is no doubt the military buildup in the Northern Mariana Islands is “going to move [ahead].” He referred to the fact that in Tinian the divert airfield and its runways are clearly visible.
Military exercises in the NMI have included Tinian and Saipan as sites and Palacios has spoken previously of the need for the buildup to benefit residents.
Speaking at the SAME event were Commander Jamie R. Rivas, executive officer for the Guam Office in Charge of Construction, and Col. Orren Squires, of the Pacific Air Forces Engineer Division, and Col. Rayan Wood, director of the Air Force Installation & Mission Support Center, which is leading the Typhoon Mawar recovery effort at Andersen Air Force Base, estimated earlier at about $4 billion. Both Squires and Wood were based at Andersen at the time.
The briefing contained good news for the Northern Mariana Islands, with several projects underway or planned on Tinian, Saipan and Rota.
Squires said, “Our biggest interest is in Rota. … We’re doing some warehousing, so we don’t have to bring equipment back and forth. We’re in talks with the Port Authority on doing work out there.”
In the NMI Squires said, “One of the challenges is local capacity. SAM registration is always a problem on an island that doesn’t have local addresses.” SAM — the System for Award Management is a U.S. website to register for federal contracts. He said the Air Force was trying to help the NMI with that challenge.
In related news, President Wesley Simina also met with Hegseth at Andersen, after which the president and the Department of Defense issued a March 27 joint statement on an understanding “to enable the U.S. Department of Defense to begin planning and construction on key infrastructure projects in the State of Yap … expected to exceed $2 billion.”The U.S. has previously talked about an airfield in Yap. Additionally, the discussion included:
• The continuation and extension of the 333 Program to strengthen FSM law enforcement and maritime security. • Reinstatement of Civil Action Team Camps to support community infrastructure. • Support for FSM veterans, including efforts to establish a framework agreement to improve access to health services and benefits. • Environmental concerns related to WWII-era shipwreck oil removal in Chuuk Lagoon. • Infrastructure priorities highlighted at the Joint Committee Meeting, including maritime safety projects in Pohnpei and Kosrae. Photo courtesy of the DoD and the Office of the Governor of the Federated States of Micronesia. The FSM president made a state visit to the People’s Republic of China in April last year, where various Memorandums of Cooperation were signed.
Now Simina “reaffirmed the FSM’s commitment to the Compact and to its enduring partnership with the United States,” his office said. “As we enter this new chapter, we remain steadfast in our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific — and to a partnership with the United States grounded in mutual trust, shared values, and a vision of peace and progress for our Blue Pacific Continent,” Simina said. mbj
