Appendix C U.S. Military Presence in U.S.-AffiIiated Islands1

The U.S.-affiliated islands are of considerable im- neuvers on Tinian, where DOD has nonexclusive portance to national security, and the United States use of some 18,000 acres—about two-thirds of the is committed to their defense and to maintaining island. Marine Engineer and other tactical units lines of communication to and through them. Indi- periodically exercise there and conduct certain vidual islands vary in strategic importance. civic action projects. These have included repair and renovation of local buildings, assistance in the Military Installations and Activities installation of water lines, and installation of power in the U.S.-Affiliated Islands distribution to the Marpo farming area. Finally, Farallon de Medinilla, an uninhabited, small vol- Pacific canic island north of Saipan, is used sporadically as a bombing and gunnery target by U.S. naval Military installations occupy about one-third of forces in the Pacific and by the U.S. Air Force tac- Guam. Military personnel and their families com- tical air squadron on Guam. prise about 20 percent of Guam’s population. An- dersen Air Force Base (AFB) is a major Strategic Caribbean Air Command (SAC) transport hub between Hawaii and the Philippines and a base for weather surveil- The U.S.-affiliated Caribbean islands are of spe- lance units and satellite communications. Guam cial significance because of their close proximity also houses naval facilities such as a naval air sta- to the United States and the importance of achiev- tion and a submarine tender (to be phased out when ing a stable security situation in the Caribbean. Most the Trident submarines are deployed). of the major Air Force and naval units operating Currently, about 200 active duty military person- or available for operations in the Caribbean are nel are employed in the former Trust Territory, most based in Florida, Virginia, Panama, or at Guan- at the 3,500-acre Kwajelein Missile Range (KMR) tanamo, Cuba. Puerto Rico, which is situated on ma- and making up five Civic Action Teams (CATS) jor routes of communication, also has a major na- operating in the Federated States of Micronesia val installation at Roosevelt Roads with permanent (FSM) and Palau. The CATS are modeled after the air and surface forces. Roosevelt Roads supports Navy Seabees of World War II, and began operat- the bombing gunnery range of Vieques Island and ing in Micronesia at the request of the Secretary provides the principal backup for the U.S. base at of the Interior in 1969, to help in the construction Guantanamo. There are no permanent military in- of public infrastructure, mainly schools and roads. stallations in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), and CATS have been a tremendous success in Micro- only sporadic naval or air surveillance or training nesia, both politically and economically. Although activities in nearby waters or airspace, these teams probably cannot make a significant dif- ference in the pace or ultimate progress of economic Projected or Planned New development on the islands, they do provide excel- Installations or Activities lent training for local apprentices and are a strong symbol of continued U.S. interest in the welfare of All of the above described bases and activities are the Micronesians. Under the Compact of Free Asso- scheduled to continue through the foreseeable fu- ciation and subsidiary agreements, the Department ture, Military patrols in the Caribbean may inten- of Defense (DOD) will continue to make CAT serv- sify if DOD gets more deeply involved in anti-drug ices available to the FSM and Palau at shared costs. operations. Otherwise, there are no known plans Navy, Marine, and some Army and Air Force to expand or radically change the U.S. military pres- units also are active in the Commonwealth of the ence there, Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Units totaling Three potentially significant changes may affect less than a brigade in strength conduct periodic ma- the western Pacific: IThis section was summarized from S. Loftus, ‘‘Impacts of U.S. Mili- 1. Approval of the Compact of Free Association tary Presence on U.S.-Affiliated Islands, ” OTA commissioned paper, 1986. between the United States and Palau may give

377 378 . Integrated Renewable Resource Management for U.S. Insular Areas

the United States rights to convert certain well- standard housing, medical facilities, schools, and defined areas in Palau into bases or training related amenities have resulted. areas. Implementation of such plans presuma- Most of the residents of Ebeye migrated there bly depends on the evolving situation in the from the “outer” Marshall islands, drawn by well- Philippines and/or the pace and level of Soviet paying jobs at KMR or because relatives work there. military activities in the area. Most are denied access to base facilities, although 2. A major air base for dispersed operations may these restrictions have been relaxed over the past be constructed on Tinian as a backup to An- several years, Ebeye has been the recipient of a num- dersen AFB on Guam. However, there are no ber of U.S. programs and funds, most of which have indications of any serious moves by DOD to do been funneled into infrastructure such as a desalini- this over the next several years. zation plant and a sewage treatment facility. 3. KMR might be expanded or an alternative range developed to allow testing of the MX mis- sile. preliminary surveys during the late 1970s identified the CNMI as a possible site for a Naval forces in Puerto Rico have been extremely “mini-KMR.” As yet there is no evidence that helpful to local authorities during and after major DOD plans either action. storms and flooding by providing transport, medi- cal assistance, and earth-moving equipment. Naval forces at Roosevelt Roads also conduct a number Ecological and Economic Effects of of civic action projects locally. DOD also increased the Military Presence defense contracting in Puerto Rico from $187 mil- lion in fiscal year 1983 to $417 million for the first Views regarding the effects of the U.S. military 11 months of 1985. on the islands are mixed. Many islanders welcome Under a memorandum of understanding between the economic and job benefits derived from the the U.S. Navy (USN) and the Government of Puerto presence of military bases. Others cite the loss of Rico, DOD has undertaken a number of measures valuable lands, negative cultural impacts (e. g., under- to improve the welfare of the people of Vieques, mining of traditional values), attraction of undesira- through the provision of medical equipment, sup- ble elements, inflation, overcrowding of schools, plies for local hospitals, assistance in public works degradation of water quality, and restrictions on construction, and a concerted effort to attract Amer- economic growth, ican industries to the island resulting thus far in 366 new jobs. In addition, it contracted with the Pacific Smithsonian Institution to provide a major study of the mariculture potential of that island. This has Guam’s local government concedes the critical led to the creation of some 400 jobs. importance of bases thereto U.S. security interests, Most environmental problems resulting from U.S. but contends that much of the land presently oc- military activities on U.S.-affiliated islands appear cupied is redundant to principal missions. U.S. mil- to have resulted from the lack of understanding or itary authorities strongly disagree, citing the need awareness of procedures, or from insensitivity on to be prepared for several major contingencies, in- the part of individual military officers, rather than cluding the phasing down or replacement of key from the absence of relevant policies or directives. facilities in the Philippines, DOD currently is reas- Military officers generally lack the time, staff, and sessing its land requirements on Guam, but is un- training to handle resource protection responsibil- likely to recommend a reduction of these require- ities, and the military has been slow to comply with ments, However, some lands held for military some local environmental regulations. purposes contain large areas of natural habitat, for which DOD ownership has provided de facto pro- tection to wildlife populations. Procedures To Consider Environmental The operations at KMR have a profound effect and Land-Use Issues in Extant MiIitary on local inhabitants and ecology. Water availabil- Installations and Activities ity, quality, and wastewater disposal all pose prob- lems, The concentration of 8,000 Micronesians on The U.S. military has a variety of procedures to the 66-acre island of Ebeye is an extreme example consider environmental and land-use issues in its of the U.S. military’s impact. Ebeye is severely over- island operations, including the National Environ- crowded; acute socioeconomic problems and sub- mental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and three DOD App. C—U.S. Military Presence in U.S.-Affiliated Islands . 379 directives. In general, the same directives, regula- statements or contract necessary studies.2 The EFD tions, and instructions that apply to current mili- on Tinian is now reviewing the island’s flora and tary activities and extant installations also apply to fauna. A companion study covering Guam is sched- any plan to expand land use, initiate new and ex- uled for 1987. panded activities, or acquire new sites. Likewise, Department of Army regulation AR200- 1. Directive 6050.1, “Environmental Effects in the 2 covers Army policy, procedures, and responsi- U.S. of DOD Actions,” covers all U.S.-affiliated bilities for the conservation, management and res- islands, and is based on NEPA, Council on toration of land and renewable resources consist- Environmental Quality implementing regula- ent with military mission and national policies. tions, and several pertinent Executive Orders, Chapter 2 of this regulation calls on local com- It specifies several goals related to the protec- manders to actively cooperate with local, State, and tion, restoration, and enhancement of island Federal organizations to carry out national land-use environments; resource recycling; and preser- and conservation policies for all management oper- vation of important historical, cultural, and nat- ations. Each major command and installation with ural aspects of the island’s national heritage. jurisdiction over substantial acreage must provide It requires assessment of the environmental technically qualified personnel to oversee all natu- consequences of proposed DOD actions that ral resource management activities, Land manage- could affect the quality of the environment; the ment plans must be reviewed every 5 years. USAF use of ecological and sociological information instructions are virtually identical to the Army’s and in planning and decisionmaking where there Navy’s, but also address such problems as noise may be an impact on the environment; and con- abatement and the protection of birds from aircraft. sideration of presently unmeasured environ- mental amenities in decisionmaking, as well as Potential Mechanisms To Increase of reasonable alternatives to recommended ac- tions that would involve conflicts concerning the Role of the Military in Sustainable, resource use. Environmentally Sound Island 2. Directive 4700.1 covers natural resource con- Economic Development servation and management, prescribes DOD policies and establishes a program for multi- The U.S. military could do more to promote envi- ple use management of renewable natural re- ronmentally sound economic development on the sources on DOD lands, consistent with military islands, including greater information sharing with missions. local authorities, procurement of local foods and 3. Directive 4710.1 calls for integrating the legal other resource-related products, and support of the requirements regarding archeological and his- local tourism industry (military transients can be toric preservation with the planning and man- considered long-term “visitors”). agement of DOD activities. It requires each DOD installation to scientifically evaluate the The U.S. Military as a Market for LocaI likelihood that significant archeological or his- Food and Other Renewable Resource- toric properties are present. If so, these must Related Products be inventoried and evaluated. All three military departments (Army, Navy, and DOD is reassessing its overseas food procurement Air Force) have issued their own directives or in- policy and recently sent a team to Guam to evalu- structions reflecting the contents of these directives. ate prospects for greater reliance on local markets. The USN, for example, has issued a detailed instruc- The USN now relies primarily on the Defense Pro- tion to its components which provides for a navy- curement Supply Center in Philadelphia, a guaran- wide program of compatible management, protec- teed source of warranted products with instant tion, and nondamaging recreational use of renew- credit and refunds for substandard products. Only able land and water resources. Engineering Field if this center does not carry a particular item, or Divisions (EFDs) administer the program in the fails to meet minimum standards, are local com- U.S.-affiliated islands and, with staff biologists, soil manders encouraged to procure locally. The base scientists, and agronomists, review plans that might 2Recently a proposal from the Utah National Guard to hold maneuvers have an impact on local renewable resources, They on Tinian was rejected because the Guard has failed to produce an accept- may direct the preparation of environmental impact able preliminary environmental impact statement. 380 ● Integrated Renewable Resource Management for U.S. Insular Areas commander at Andersen AFB is permitted to pro- ural beauty of Vieques Island, although this is not cure some fresh, indigenous produce, but there is a major tourist attraction. Navy Seabees from Roose- no consistent or substantial reliance on local food, velt Roads engage in various civic action projects, in part because local sources are not completely mainly at the request of local village leaders, and reliable. distribute brochures from Puerto Rico’s Tourism Without cogent incentives, greater reliance on lo- Company to its personnel. The naval command cal markets by the U.S. military is unlikely. Factors there is considering a request to transport spent that could increase local procurement include im- rockets from the mainland to the city park of Baya- proved relations between the military and local gov- mon, and has already transported cannons from the ernments and citizens groups, more competitive lo- El Morro fortress for needed repairs and restora- cal prices, and more reliable local sources. None tion at no cost. are likely to materialize substantially soon. However, the military is committed to its primary military missions, and few tactical units are U.S. Military Contributions to equipped and inclined to assist civilian authorities the Tourist Industry with development programs. Exceptions include CATS and various construction and engineering The USN of Guam puts much time and effort into units in the islands. DOD might be persuaded to “beautification” work in and near the Naval Air Sta- press Congress for the authority and measures to tion at Agana, as part of the “COMNAVMARIANAS” increase these units’ current levels of effort on be- civic action program, and conducts a “sister village” half of island populations. Military commanders on program with some local communities involving the islands could be directed to provide more assis- small public works and beautification projects. The tance to local authorities and/or give higher priority Navy also conducts civic action work on Tinian to the improvement of on-base ecological systems. and, less frequently, at the Memorial Park area of Military groups would be unlikely to comply, how- Tanapeg Harbor, Saipan. In the Caribbean it has ever, without being given more resources for such reportedly done a superb job in maintaining the nat- a purpose.