Journal Staff
About 105 U.S. Marines will arrive in Guam at the end of the year, according to Vera Topasña, executive director of the Government of Guam’s Community Defense Liaison Office.
Her office tracks the movement of U.S. military to Guam and will continue to do so, she said.
The group due by December are logistics personnel, according to the Marine Corps Times. They will join "less than 100" personnel already at Camp Blaz.
The transition of U.S. Marines to Guam is high profile, and top of Topasña’s to-do list.
“This is the biggest move for the military right now. It’s important to keep the momentum and the consistency in staying engaged with the Marine Corps,” she said.
She also said it’s important to continue an open dialogue during the ongoing transition because it is still an active action, and her office is committed to tracking any changes along the way.
Although the Community Defense Liaison Office deals a lot with Joint Region Marianas and now Joint Task Force Micronesia, Topasña emphasized the office still directly engages with all the military branches in Guam.
She highlighted the benefits of these engagements, such as community programs and infrastructure projects to include the Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program grants.
Topasña said, “We are definitely taking advantage of any opportunity.”
An example of the pilot program grant is a multi-purpose center being built in Chalan Pago. The village in 2020 received $3.5 million to help with the construction of the $6.5 million center from the pilot program Topasña said a grant cycle comes out every year which allows agencies like the Port Authority of Guam, the Department of Public Works, and the Guam International Airport Authority to compete for infrastructure grant needs. She said her office “provides that additional support to help them develop their grant narratives in order to compete for these federal grants.” The DOD Innovative Readiness Training is another program that provides medical mission services to the community in partnership with the Department of Public Health and Social Services and a cyber security mission in partnership with the Office of Technology and the Office of Homeland Security.
Topasña highlighted the vast differences in scale between Marine bases in Okinawa and Guam. “Okinawa is home to approximately 20,000 to 29,000 Marines,” she said. “We are still tracking rotational movement of 5,000 Marines to Guam with at least the first 105 plus arriving at the end of the year with increased movement each year thereafter.” She said, “at this time, I cannot confirm the number of accompanied or unaccompanied members.” Topasña said there are no special events planned currently for their arrival in December.
“Of the 5,000, we expect that over 1,000 will be permanently stationed on Guam for two to four years at a time,” she said.
Okinawa is home to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. Major subordinate commands falling under the III Marine Expeditionary Force there include the 3rd Marine Logistics Group, the 3rd Marine Division, the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
“This gives you a snapshot of the multiple Marine Corps Installations on Okinawa compared to one base on Guam ... Camp Blaz,” Topasña said.
Environmental and cultural stewardship remains a priority as Marines relocate to Guam.
“The administration’s concerns are ensuring continued environmental and cultural stewardship by the Marine Corps and respect for the people and the culture,” she said. “We discussed ways to promote community integration, such as workforce development strategies and community projects.”
The relocation involves significant infrastructure improvements on-island.
“Through the Civil Military Coordinating Council and other joint planning discussions, we continue to address needed infrastructure improvements,” Topasña said. “While the Marine Corps relocation and buildout of Camp Blaz is a priority with the largest Military Construction budget for DoD, the GovGuam team is looking at the overall military growth. Everything from housing, road improvements, utility enhancements, joint-use strategies, and homeland security strategies are being discussed and planned for.”
Topasña said the focus remains on protecting the health and natural environment of the island for all the people of Guam.
She also emphasized the importance of aligning workforce needs with local training institutions.
“We envision increased collaboration in identifying positions needed for Camp Blaz that will be open to the general public,” she said. “The collaboration will need to be aligned with the training capacity at the Guam Community College and the University of Guam. GCC and UOG have established many new certificate and new degree programs to prepare our people.”
During her tour of Camp Hansen and Camp Foster in Okinawa, Topasña said she observed robust quality-of-life programs for the Marines and their families on Okinawa. When comparing Camp Blaz, she said, “Our recent tour of Camp Blaz and the construction activity take into account the planned quality of life programs for Camp Blaz that are also available and will be utilized in partnership with the Air Force and Navy bases.”
Her office continues to work closely with the Marine Corps and the DOD to ensure a smooth relocation process that considers the island community and infrastructure capacity. She said, “We are looking at pathways to ensure the transition is successful for the Marines and for Guam.”
Addressing concerns about misconduct with more Marines arriving, Topasña emphasized the importance of ongoing collaboration between military and local authorities to address off-base concerns. "We continue to work closely with joint region leadership and local law enforcement officials to address any misconduct off the base," Topasña said. With more than 7,000 military personnel currently in Guam, she said there are existing measures in place to manage off-base incidents.
Topasña acknowledged the potential challenges of population growth due to increased military presence. "Certainly, we will be looking at population growth.” she said.
Topasña praised the strong relationships between military branches and local institutions. "We have a great relationship with the military branches. They have existing relationships with our local courts and local law enforcement officials," Topasña said. "So, there's already an ongoing collaboration, and it will continue. Of course, we will be more aware that there may be more incidents."
Her office is planning to launch a new military-update website in order to keep the community informed. “This year, we were approved to jumpstart a full-blown military update website under the Community Defense Plan. We got approved for the budget and to maintain that website annually. So that's good news." She said her office still needs to go through the procurement period. “Maybe in the next 30 to 45 days if all the stars align… we are expediting our website to go live in the next few weeks,” she said.
The website will provide comprehensive information about military actions and resources. "We want to put out in the new website, who we are, what we do, resources, military actions, and it will list everything that's happening," she said. "The information we receive is directly from the Department of Defense."
Accurate information is important she said, noting that her office engages directly with multiple defense entities, including the Missile Defense Agency, Joint Region Marianas, and the Indo-Pacific Command. "I have to make sure that I'm getting the correct information from the proponents," she said.
Topasña said the Missile Defense Agency’s Environmental Impact Study is some months away. "The draft EIS is scheduled to come out in the fall," she said, noting delays due to Typhoon Mawar. "They are extending the comment period to 60 days for us and will hold open house events in different locations."
She added that the number of tactical sites under consideration has been reduced from 20 to 14, reflecting ongoing adjustments in planning. "Experts will be available during the open house to answer any questions that the community may have," Topasña said.
"There is a lot of work being put to ensuring that the concerns being voiced by the community are received by DOD and addressed by DOD," Topasna said. She emphasized that this includes responsibilities held by the Government of Guam, such as environmental protection, cultural resources, and economic development.
Topasña said her office has a role in managing significant projects and growth. "Right now, we're completing the last mitigation project from the Marine realignment, which is the biosafety lab. We're already in the design phase and going through that process," she said.
"We are managing multimillion dollar construction projects and the growth, looking at all areas of infrastructure, roads, housing, cultural, and environmental resources." mbj