By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

A HIGH-powered Pentagon delegation is scheduled to arrive on Guam today for a four-day visit.
The group is led by Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment B.J. Penn, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics William Anderson, and retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David Bice, executive director of the Joint Guam Program Office.
During their visit, the delegation will meet with military leaders, government of Guam officials, and members of the island’s business community to discuss the Joint Guam Program Office.
The delegation also plans to visit Saipan to meet with government and business representatives.
The visit is considered important by GovGuam because the officials are responsible for formulating policy and procedures for the management of military property, housing, and logistics.
The visit by the delegation is seen as an affirmation of the Pentagon’s continuing desire to expand the military’s presence on Guam.
Bice was selected by Penn earlier this month to lead the planning, integration of operational support requirements, development, program and budget synchronization, construction oversight, and government and business coordination for the realignment of military forces on Guam.
The tapping of a retired U.S. Marine Corps major general to help oversee the planning for the expansion of the military on island is seen as another sign that Guam’s military build-up is on track.
The delegation is expected to provide an update of the military’s development plans for Guam.
The delegation also aims to meet with local military commanders and further consult with local and community officials, as well as conduct detailed visits to sites where military development is expected.
GovGuam and the island’s private sector are particularly interested in learning more details about the relocation of the 8,000 Marines from Okinawa.
According to the military’s master plan, most of the $10.3 billion development projects will revolve around the Finegayan and Naval Communications Station area, with about 3,550 homes built in the South Finegayan area.
“Secretary Penn is leading a very complex development program and his consultations will help to ensure that our community is prepared for the challenges ahead,” Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo said in a statement.
“I have asked Secretary Penn and General Bice to continue to update our leaders and to work with us to address community concerns as we go forward,” she added.
The Joint Guam Program Office was established within the Department of the Navy in August 2006 at the direction of Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England.
The JGPO falls under the direct oversight of Penn and has responsibility for planning and executing the military development on Guam.
Bice retired from active service with the United States Marine Corps on Jan. 5, 2007 and immediately assumed his leadership post with the Joint Guam Program Office.
Last year, initial implementation details for the movement of Marines to Guam and associated military construction projects took place under the leadership of the U.S. Pacific Command.
The Department of Defense has said that the U.S. is committed to Guam and wants to build an “enduring” presence on island, with both Japan and the U.S. spending some $10 billion over a seven-year period to facilitate the transfer of the Marines from Okinawa.
All in all, over the next 10 years, the military said Guam will see a doubling of Air Force and Navy personnel, with Air Force personnel increasing to about 4,500 and Navy personnel increasing from 4,000 to 8,000, aside from the 17,000 Marines and their dependents who will be relocated from Okinawa.
When the members of the Navy delegation travel to the CNMI, they are expected to talk to local leaders and provide additional details about the Navy’s plan to use CNMI facilities for training purposes.
On Friday, Penn is also scheduled to address the Guam Chamber of Commerce to share with the business sector the military’s latest development plans for Guam.