NAVFAC outlines $100M in projects to expand submarine support at Polaris Point
According to information shared with the Journal, the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command is planning several projects to support submarine operations on Guam.
NAVFAC is developing a new submarine pier at Polaris Point that will accommodate up to four homeported Virginia-class submarines or a combination of submarines and a submarine tender.
A $97 million contract was awarded to build a 17,000-square-foot facility with an accompanying battery energy storage system and microgrid controller. The project is expected to be completed by June 2028.
“Our project will help facilitate wharf improvements, upgrades to utility systems, and construction of new facilities to support submarine operations,” according to a presentation by Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133. NMCB 133 has been deployed to Guam and Tinian since September 2025.
Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion conduct earthwork on the Polaris Point access road project on Sept. 8 in Santa Rita. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Waters
Additionally, NMCB 133 said a $3 million project is underway to construct an unimproved gravel road from Marine Corps Drive through the jungle to the Polaris Point Submarine Base.
Work includes clearing 18 acres of vegetation, building a 2,687-foot-long, 48-foot-wide gravel road with five-foot shoulders, and installing erosion control systems consisting of culverts, headwalls, swales, and basins. The project also includes about 1,300 linear feet of low-security fencing, 100 linear feet of high-security fencing, and a 24-foot-wide anti-terrorism/force protection gate.
However, NMCB 133 reported that material procurement, unexploded ordnance, equipment availability, lack of project crew continuity, and environmental challenges have delayed progress. mbj
The Office of the Governor released photos of the meeting on Feb. 26 CHamoru Standard Time with four representatives of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. U.S. Department of the Interior were also in attendance, as BOEM is part of DOI.
A new initiative for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will not only direct USACE to continue its involvement in the islands but could ensure that several military construction projects in Micronesia move speedily forward.
The Guam Memorial Hospital Authority Board of Trustees has authorized hospital management to implement “a reduction in force” as part of efforts to address ongoing fiscal challenges, according to a document obtained by the Journal.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced Feb. 24 CHamoru Standard Time “proposed revisions to its regulations” which it said are “to support critical mineral exploration and development essential for national security and economic prosperity.”
