“It is so expensive to ship items from the CNMI to Guam. We need to come up with a cost-effective way to transport our products,” he added.
With the looming military buildup on Guam, the issue of high shipping costs can be addressed by creating a partnership between the civilians and military, he said during the military buildup symposium at the Saipan World Resort.
The chamber at the same time said the CNMI can be a “moral, welfare and recreation” area for the military and a training venue, he added.
According to Brennan, the CNMI’s proximity to Guam and Asia makes the islands an ideal staging and storage area for troops and material and a maintenance and contingency site for air and seaports.
“The military will need storage facilities for their support equipment and other materials and the CNMI has plenty of available spaces for lease that can be configured to meet their specific needs like warehouses, offices, barracks, container yards and others,” he said.
Brennan added that the abandoned garment factories present an opportunity for storage, manufacturing and prefabrication.
He said the CNMI can take advantage of the variety of locations it has, including arable lands and low lease pricing.
Brennan said the chamber also considers low tax rates and the infrastructure needs as other potential avenues of support that the CNMI can offer to the military.
He said logistical support by means of equipment and material storage, access, port facilities for the high-speed ferry and billeting for transient troops are also areas that will be beneficial to both the military and business communities.
