During a House Armed Services Committee hearing held before the congressional recess, Del. James Moylan (R-Guam) questioned Military officials about infrastructure investments.
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00:00I thank the general lady for yielding. Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Guam, Mr. Moylan.
00:07Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member. I'm happy to be here on such an important security hearing about my backyard and Indopecom and the importance of Guam, where it's my home, and to relay to our panel that we feel the pressures you do, we feel the stress, and we understand the threat from our adversities and
00:29this region, and I'm so happy you're there. I'm focusing on that because Guam is where our day begins. We are U.S. soil. We have many allies in the Indopecom, and we're the closest body of land that the United States has to our allies. Allies are our friends, but Guam is USA, and we are family.
00:49So I appreciate your importancy in making that interest number one for you folks. And part of that as we grow, we know with the Marine Corps is building up in Guam with our Camp Ben Blas, and that agreement has gone since 2012, where the United States and Japan came together, where Japan made an investment.
01:11Would you have an idea of that investment amount that Japan made for that move from Okinawa to help build the Camp Ben Blas?
01:17I believe it's in the neighborhood of three billion. I'll also say, if I may, sir, half a day.
01:23Half a day.
01:24And your backyard is America's front yard in the homeland.
01:26Amen. Thank you. How about the investments that the United States has made thus far for the buildup of the Camp Ben Blas?
01:33I believe the majority of the burden has been borne by the Japanese.
01:37Okay. And we're still pumping in money to get the continuation of getting that built.
01:41And there's a great investment the island have Guam has done with our infrastructure, working closely to ensure what our power, our water, our roads are built to withstand all this movement coming into from Okinawa to Guam.
01:55Then 9,000, as you mentioned, close to 5,000 Marines to facilitate being on Guam.
02:01It has a great impact on Guam's economy and our community, and we've been focusing on this since 2012 and up to the future, and we've still got years to go for its completion.
02:11So the concern is, though, there has been made a comment by a senior military officer that says, possibly the move from Marines going from Okinawa to Guam, we're going in the wrong direction.
02:21But we have already invested in the, since 2012, in the NDAA, this investment to happen.
02:28So, Admiral Paparo, the Department of Defense, do you feel they are still committed to the agreement of the Marine Forces to move from Okinawa to Guam?
02:38Congressman, the DPRI, the Defense Policy Review Initiatives, remains the program of record, and we are committed to executing it in a conditions-based manner.
02:49Thank you, Admiral.
02:50In addition to all this investment with moving the Marines from Okinawa to Guam, we also have other natural disasters that has happened.
02:59Specifically in 2023, we had Typhoon of War, where we're causing nearly $43 billion in damage to our island.
03:07One of the major things that was damaged also, and is one storm away from being completely destroyed, is the glass brick water.
03:15Investments have been made.
03:16Constructions is happening.
03:18But this is the key.
03:19This is our only port for our supplies that supply our community and our military.
03:23With that fails, it's total destruction.
03:27And that's our only supply chain to get these ships unloaded.
03:32So, since this has been rebuilt, I would ask you for an update on the progress of the project and the estimated completion date of the breakwater repairs.
03:41Congressman, to my situational awareness, it's on track, but I owe you a more defined answer, and I'll give that to you in written form.
03:51But I believe it's on track.
03:53It can't happen fast enough for me, but I'll give you the specifics.
03:56I appreciate that, and recently I was talking to our joint regional Micronesia, Admiral Hoffman, and he said he watched the rocks being replaced with the cranes.
04:09So we're moving forward, but I appreciate your updates on that as well.
04:12So just a few more minutes here, I got to ask some questions.
04:16But we also have some big investments going into the repairs in the Air Force, O&M investments, repairs for that.
04:23One specific thing, the category that, when our storm tracker was tracking that, was at a category four of destruction force, but then it blew away.
04:32So we need all these things to be repaired in time to properly prepare for the next battle with the next storm, if not our adversaries.
04:39So I wanted to know, we've got some unfunded priority lists, and how you are looking for that to be funded,
04:47and what you want Congress to help you with your priority list of unfunded priorities.
04:52We only have 16 seconds.
04:54Guam defense system is first and foremost, and I'm reminded that that remain on track,
04:58and it deliver on time for Guam's defense as the homeland.
05:02And then in addition, our improvements to Anderson Air Force Base, to Northwest Airfield, to those capabilities,
05:09and the continued improvements to the submarine base are critical.
05:13Thank you very much.
05:13The time's expired.
05:14Cheer now.
05:14Cheer now.