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Fewer Marines bound for Guam, report says

HAGATNA, Guam — President Obama plans to shrink the Guam buildup to only 4,500 Marines, then rotate the other 4,000 through the Asia-Pacific region, according to a news service report.

Bloomberg News Service on Thursday cited anonymous sources who are familiar with the president’s plan but requested anonymity because the plan has not been announced. The report states that Obama’s plan is motivated by the troubling cost of the Guam buildup, which has been estimated to be as high as $21 billion.

Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo has called the report “rumored alternatives” to the current buildup plan, but Guam Buildup Office Director Mark Calvo said Friday it’s possible this could be the president’s plan for the buildup.

Although unconfirmed, the administration wouldn’t dismiss the report. Even if reducing the buildup’s troop size is Obama’s plan, he can’t do it without buy-in from Congress, which holds the purse strings, and Japan, which will pay for $6 billion of the Marines’ move. Japan has paid close to $1 billion out of its $6 billion commitment to help pay for reducing the presence of U.S. Marines from Okinawa.

“We understand from talking to officials in the Department of Defense there are options [Obama] is considering, and this may be once of them,” Mark Calvo said, adding later: “This may be in fact true, but it is not in any sense the final word.”

The military previously planned to move about 8,600 Marines and 9,000 dependents from Okinawa to Guam, creating a new Marine base in Finegayan and jump-starting the island’s otherwise stagnant economy.

However, according to the Bloomberg report, the Obama administration instead plans to rotate about half of those Marines through Australia; Subic Bay in the Philippines and perhaps another, smaller base in the Philippines; and Hawaii. Marines deploying to Australia and an increased U.S. military presence in the Philippines have been announced by the military, but not previously linked to the Guam buildup.

Half of the Marines originally slated for Guam would still come to the island, Bloomberg reported, but at least some of those would be here only on rotation instead of being permanently stationed here, as was previously planned.

Mark Calvo said the implications of a smaller, more rotational Marine force aren’t entirely clear, but if fewer military forces come to Guam, the economic boost probably would be smaller, too.

A smaller group of Marines most likely would need fewer facilities, and rotational Marines may be less likely to be accompanied by their families, which would shrink the overall population surge brought on by the buildup, Mark Calvo said.

However, Mark Calvo said a rotational force might also carry a silver lining. The Marines plan to build aircraft and shoreline training centers at Andersen Air Force Base and Apra Harbor. If more Marines are rotating through Guam, these training centers might get used more, which means they would need to hire more local residents for staff and maintenance, Mark Calvo said.

The United States is realigning forces in the Asia-Pacific as the Obama administration refocuses attention on the region after more than a decade of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the same time, the Pentagon is seeking to cut about $490 billion from projected defense spending over a decade.

According to the Bloomberg report, the Pentagon issued a response stating the military still is committed to moving some Marines from Okinawa to Guam, “establishing an operational Marine Corps presence” and a “strategic hub” here.

“Recognizing the budget realities here, as well as the environmental challenges we face on Guam, the department is considering options that will fulfill our regional commitments most efficiently and effectively,” Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde said in an email to Bloomberg.

Obama has been tasked with cutting as much as $490 billion from the defense budget over the next decade. The Guam buildup also has come under fire in Congress, where lawmakers including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., have criticized the plans as pricey and unworkable.

McCain managed to block funding for the buildup in the fiscal 2012 budget, requiring the military to explore cheaper alternatives. However, both Gov. Calvo and Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo questioned if a smaller, rotational force would really be cheaper.

“... I caution the administration on changing the force laydown on Guam to be solely rotational,” Bordallo said in a statement. “There must be a balance between a robust permanent presence of Marines as well as a rotational component. It’s foolish to believe a rotational component would save any money in the long run.”

“I also understand that some budget hawks in Congress are preying on the Marines’ buildup on Guam and the total realignment in this region,” the governor said in a statement. “I hope Washington understands why the Defense Department needs to do this; why this is the preferred laydown. Guam is at America’s westernmost frontier. We are the closest U.S. community to the fastest-growing region in the world. China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia are all within three to five hours flight distance.”