Back to the root: Guam Military Buildup: Resistance Grows

Chamorro protestors in Guam (Guahan) recently made clear their intention to resist some of the more egregiously destructive military buildup plans of the US DOD.

Protesters confront authorities at Pagat action.

Behind the protest is a long running story of US arrogance in its attempt to force the people of Guam into unconditional acceptance of sloppy, ill-conceived, and potentially destructive plans for a huge military buildup on the island.

Brig. Gen. Douglas H. Owens, a former commanding officer of Guam’s gigantic Andersen Air Force Base once referred to Guam as "an unsinkable aircraft carrier" for the projection of US military power in the Pacific. People who live in US territories kind of get used to being an afterthought in the minds of US policy makers--just ask the folks in Puerto Rico about Vieques or the folks who live unrepresented in DC about...well anything. (This, after all, is the reason other former US territories in the Pacific Island--Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau--became independent nations. But rarely is the exploitatively utilitarian truth expressed by Owens spoken with such brutal honesty and clarity; we should be thankful to Owens for his statements sheds light on why the US has been so seemingly indifferent to the chorus of objections of the people of Guam about the planned military buildup on their island Territory.

The US military is facing two primary problems in the Pacific. The Marines are getting chased out of Okinawa as the Japanese have had quite enough of a foreign presence they find unnecessary, obnoxious, and often given to bad (criminal) behavior toward Okinawan civilians. At the same time, China is flexing some new military power and has reportedly armed up a large number of missiles capable of reaching aircraft carriers at very long distances in the Pacific. Their aim is to counter the military power of the US should there ever come a showdown over the status of Taiwan.

So the Pentagon had a few issues to deal with in the Pacific and needed someplace to put the Marines, since the Okinawans were seemed to have become a bit touchy. Hawaii said ‘sorry"’, California said ‘nope’. Solution: Guam. Why Guam? Why not? It's a territory and so you don't have the pesky problem with a foreign government getting all up on its hind legs about 'sovereignty' and such. And its not like there's a state governor with Constitutionally reserved rights and powers to contend with.

So, the Department of Defense came up with a plan not only to relocate 8,600 Marines from Okinawa to Guam, but also to beef up the military presence on the island to offset strategic moves by the Chinese which had tipped the balance of power slightly away from the unchallenged dominance in the Pacific which the US believes is its right. So in addition to the Marine invasion, DOD plans to provide additional live-fire training sites, expand the already ginormous Andersen Air Force Base, create berthing for a nuclear aircraft carrier, and erect a missile defense system on the island.

Great plan. What's the beef?

Well, first off, you may note the part about nuclear aircraft carriers and missile defense systems. If you are a citizen of Guam,enjoying the bountiful natural beauty everywhere around the island (or at least enjoying that part of the island not owned by the US Department of Defense,sitting behind military security fences), why would you ever agree to be made a greater target of Chinese military attention due to a buildup of manpower and hardware that has nothing to do with protecting you from anyone?

Secondly, if there has to be a buildup, why does the Department of Defense and the US Government indicate that it may have to condemn significant amounts of privately owned land belonging to Guamanians? The US DOD already owns 1/3 of the total land on the island. This is the far and away the greatest percentage of land under the control of the US Military in any US state or territory where there are military bases. And yet DOD says it has no choice but to increase its footprint on Guam, even though it cannot say by exactly how much.

Worse yet, much of the land and ocean resources DOD says it must have is are environmentally important or culturally crucial. For example, the firing range (actually a firing range complex) the military says it must build are to be built in Pagat, on of the most culturally significant sites in Guam for the Chamorro people. Here is what GuamPedia has to say about the significance of Pagat:

Pågat (which means to counsel or advise in the Chamorro language) is an important cultural resource for the Chamorro people; the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands. The archaeological site contains the remnants of a large latte village that is believed to have been a part of a larger exchange network.

The area has been included on Guam Register of Historic Places as well as the National Register of Historic Places, since 1974. These designations by the Guam Department of Parks and Recreation and the US National Park Service attest to the historic significance of the site. In 2010, the National Trust for Historic Preservation included Pågat on America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

So, why Pagat? Why does the US Military need this particular piece of real estate? No one seems to have a good answer. But Leevin Camacho, a member of the We Are Guahan coalition, may be on to a lead: