Concerns over missile defense systems and testing on Guam are growing, with territory officials seeking more information from the United States Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Growing tensions between the United States and China have resulted in the militarization of the territory, which hosts Andersen Air Force Base, Naval Base Guam, and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz.
After several requests by territorial leaders, MDA extended the public comments period to August 2. Still, Guamanians feel left in the dark by the military. Besides building a 360-degree Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense System, the military has proposed missile defense flight testing twice a year for 10 years. The flight tests, which include live-fire exercises, are part of efforts to protect Guam from ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles.
Many concerns relate to the testing, as the tests require landowners in certain areas near Andersen Air Force Base to temporarily evacuate from their homes for up to four days. Robert Underwood, who chairs the Pacific Center for Island Security think tank and previously served in Congress as the territory’s delegate between 1993 and 2003, said the tests would interfere with life on the island, emphasizing in an interview that “People are starting to wake up to the fact that their daily lives are being disrupted. I would characterize it more as ‘Haven’t you asked too much of us already? And what else do we have to give? And why are we the first strike community for the United States?”
Underwood added that the militarization of Guam as part of the American strategy in the Indo-Pacific region to counter China unjustly affects Guamanians. He highlighted, “Guam is simply thought of as a set piece in a grand chess game, but of course, in this set piece there is a lot of people. And they’re being asked to not just sacrifice their land and disrupt their life but are not being informed about it in a timely way in which they can either ameliorate or perhaps even change the plan.”
Transparency and the lack of information are a big concern for territorial advocates and representatives. Speaker of the Guam Legislature Theresa Terlaje (D) discussed environmental challenges with military officials when lawmakers visited Joint Region Marianas headquarters on Nimitz Hill, with Terlaje saying, “I brought up concerns about the missile defense system, how we have a testing about to take place with an EA – environmental assessment – only, not an EIS (environmental impact statement) and that we thought it should be an EIS so that a full study was done, especially in light of the EA saying there will be debris on land and debris in the ocean.”
The housing crisis also poses risks for the island, which already houses over 26,000 soldiers but could see that number rise to 44,000 by 2037. Terlaje discussed the housing impacts of building the missile defense system during her visit, asking for more information.
The legislature additionally passed a resolution seeking transparency, with Terlaje leading efforts to access an independent report of the missile defense system by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory. Lawmakers argued that the report, and an EIS, are needed before the public comment deadline, as the missile tests could begin next year.
Local activist Monaeka Flores was more direct in criticizing the military, leading a rally outside the headquarters during the visit and shouting “We do not consent to being made a target for war. This is land-taking by another name.”
Flores added, “We’re watching constant destruction and desecration of our island before our eyes. The hyper-militarization that’s building us up for war, we have all of these reports of contaminants, more contaminants found in our environment, and we have all of these deadlines for submitting comments for all of these various projects and the cumulative impact is immense.”
0 Comments