A delegation of high-level officials from Washington D.C. is on Guam today to meet with Governor Eddie Baza Calvo, Lt. Governor Ray Tenorio, Speaker Judi Won Pat and members of the 31st Guam Legislature.
The delegation will meet with the governor and lt. governor at 10 a.m. this morning and are scheduled to have a courtesy/working meeting with members of the legislature this afternoon.
Members of the delegation are: Robert Work, Undersecretary of the Navy; Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Jacklynne Pfannestiel; Deputy Undersecretary of Defense, Dr. Dorothy Robyn; Assistant Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps, Brigadier General Robert Ruark; Peter Potochney, OFD, SES; Brian Wood, USMC PPO Director; Joint Guam Program Office Executive Director Joseph Ludovici; Pete Keating, executive assistant to the Undersecretary of the Navy; and Lt. Cdr. Anthony Conley, aide to Pfannestiel.
Other officials who will meet with the governor and lawmakers are Rear Admiral Paul Bushong, JGPO Deputy Director John Jackson, and Capt. Daniel Cuff.
In 2005, Work was a naval analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. At the time, Work said Guam had a major advantage in that the military did not have to negotiate access since it was a U.S. territory.
œAll of the islands that we own over time " if were going to be operating in the Pacific a lot " will tend to be very, very vital, Work said at the time.
The controversial programmatic agreement will be a focus of discussion, said Speaker Won Pat. Won Pat said she also would like an honest assessment of the buildup from the new Republican majority in the House. Shes hoping that the delegation would provide that feedback.
Won Pat said although the funding mechanism that will bring over $400 million from the Japanese government is still not clear, the ongoing discussions with U.S. Department of Defense officials and Japans government is promising since DoD has not changed its policy position that costs for all military-related upgrades and construction to Guams infrastructure will not burden Guams ratepayers.
Guam lies only one time zone away from the capitals of Japan and South Korea and with the continued military threat from North Korea and China, the U.S. is taking full advantage that Guam, an unincorporated territory, will be used as a military outpost to deter future threats from these two countries, said Won Pat.
œLet us remind ourselves why this military buildup will happen and why we must take a firm stance in our position since we were not part of the negotiations between the United States and Japan. Our island is the strategic interest of the United States, said the Speaker.
View the discussion thread.blog comments powered by Disqus
Article source: http://mvguam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16267:high-level-delegation-in-town&catid=1:guam-local-news&Itemid=61
No Tag
Halo Sobat, Nama Saya Sofyan Syah, Memulai Dunia Blogging Sejak Nov 2011, Meskipun Masih Baru terjun di Dunia Blogging, Saya tidak patah semangat Untuk menjadi Yang terbaik dari yang Terbaik, karena saya yakin, Tidak ada hal yang tidak Mungkin.Buat saya Blogging Is My Life.Senang rasanya jika sobat sudah Berkunjung di blog ini.
Komentar :
Post a Comment