Webb: Military Buildup is a National Issue
The U.S. Senate and other high-ranking federal officials need to understand that the military buildup is not only a Guam issue, but one that's just as important to the nation's interests in the region.
That's the message Virginia Sen. Jim Webb said he'll take back to Congress after his visit to Guam and Japan this past week.
"Even though it's very important to Guam, it is an issue of how the Untied States is going to re-engage in a proper way in Asia. It's a key issue in terms of our national strategy," Webb said yesterday evening during a press conference at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa.
Because of Guam's important role in the region, Webb, a member of the Senate's Armed Service Committee, said the federal government should be "spending a lot more money" to support the island's infrastructure and public services as the island braces for the buildup.
He pointed to the U.S. Department of Transportation's "omission" of the Port Authority of Guam's request for $50 million in national recovery grants for port projects.
The grant request was key to the port's $206 million modernization plan, which included facility upgrades and expansions necessary to accommodate the military buildup.
Webb said he's already called on President Obama to find funding available through the federal stimulus package. He said about $150 billion of the $787 billion stimulus package Congress approved a year ago has yet to be obligated.
"If we truly are talking about increasing our presence, our connection with Asia, this is the place where we have to demonstrate that," Webb said. "We have that obligation in the long term, and we certainly should be able to find $50 million to get the Port Authority going."
Upon his return to Washington, D.C., Webb said he plans to meet with Hawaii Sen. Dan Inouye, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, to get more infrastructure funding for Guam.
The senator, a Marine veteran who's visited Guam several times in the 1970s, said he listened carefully to local officials and business leaders about their concerns and anticipation over the buildup -- the main point of his trip here.
As the new Japan government calls for a further review of its agreement with the U.S. government over shifting troops and military bases, uncertainties and possible delays have been raised over those plans. The agreement outlines the U.S. government's plans to realign its forces in the region, which includes the relocation of 8,000 Marines and their 9,000 dependents to Guam by 2014.
Webb's two-day trip on Guam follows a four-day visit to Japan, where he met with officials to discuss options to resolve a dispute over the relocation of a Marine base in Okinawa.
"We need to have a lot more realistic discussions about what timelines are achievable. We continue to talk about this 2014 timeline, but need to have a more realistic discussion about what this means," he said.
During the press conference, Webb also spoke about certain sensitive issues about the buildup.
He said if the Department of Defense needs additional land for its activities and facilities, it shouldn't be acquired through eminent domain. He also questioned whether additional property is required at all.
"I'm very sensitive to the fact that one-third of this island is under military bases," he said.
Webb also said he was "hesitant" about the military's plans for a firing range, and said Tinian might be a more appropriate location for that.
But whatever decisions are made about the buildup, he said those decisions must be balanced with the U.S. government's interests for the region and with the island's concerns.
"I would like to emphasize my belief that we cannot truly re-engage properly with Asia without having a very strong alliance with Japan and without having a strong relationship here with the people of Guam," he said.