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Written by ADAM BROWN
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Monday, May 09, 2011
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GUAM – While many are expecting a dramatic overnight change to Guam's population in a single flood of military personnel, they should really be watching for a more deliberate pace over the space of years, according to a senior official related to the buildup.
The U.S. Marines to be transferred to Guam from Okinawa will arrive in small groups over the space of several years, rather than in a large force, as construction for the military buildup proceeds, according to Bryan Wood, the U.S. Marine Corps Pacific Division's policy director.
"We expect it will take several years to move every single unit," Mr. Wood told GuamBuildupNews.com in a recent interview. "Most of our force flow is predicated on events, not on time. So until those triggering events occur, I can't tell you what that timeline is."
The transfer of at least 8,600 U.S. Marines and their families and support staff from Japan to Guam will likely actually start earlier and end later as the Department of Defense times the actual arrival of personnel with the construction of the facilities that they need on the island. Aircraft units for example, can't arrive without the support facilities for their MV-22 Osprey aircraft, infantry can only move with training grounds ready.
"We can start moving one unit at a time as unit-specific facilities become fully ready for them," he said. "Before (we) move an operational capability from Okinawa to Guam, (we) have to make sure that facility is ready. We don't need to have the entire base ready."
He said the mix of troops to move to Guam is still being decided although the number of military personnel to be transferred may grow to as many as 9,700 Marines. The Marine Corps may also opt to increase the ratio of infantry troops involved in the buildup.
"You have to look at execute-ability," Mr. Wood said. "Can we actually move these units like this? Is this the best MAGTF (Marine Air-Ground Task Force) use with the current issues in the Pacific?"
Mr. Wood said small Marine Logistics Groups, which are meant to provide combat logistics support as well as medical and other services, will probably be moving to Guam within the next couple of years, adding to the almost 20 Marines that are already on the island in various functions.
"We do need to get advance units there as soon as possible," Mr. Wood said. It's too hard to predict when the first combat units move though. I wish I had a better answer about when we're coming. The Guam Joint Military Master Plan is never a final document."
Two full-time squadrons on Guam, Mr. Wood said, will include one Marine medium tiltrotor squadron with the MV-22 Osprey aircraft, and a Heavy Helicopter Squadron, which currently uses CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopters. That squadron, though, will eventually adopt the Osprey as well, he said.
This trickle strategy for the military buildup on Guam will also ensure minimal impact to the island's environment and infrastructure by requiring a minimum of buildup-related workforce at any one time, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Jackalynne Pfannenstiel said in recent testimony to Congress.
"We will work with local and federal agencies to ensure infrastructure capacity limitations are not exceeded and significant environmental impacts are avoided," Ms. Pfannenstiel said. "This will be accomplished by adjusting the construction tempo and sequencing of projects. This would result in adjustments to the growth in the workforce population so as to not overwhelm Guam's utilities, port, roadways and other systems."
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