Leo B. Tudela
SAIPAN will serve as the main communications headquarters for Agile Reaper 24, an Indo-Pacific military exercise from April 3 to 15, according to Commonwealth Ports Authority Executive Director Leo B. Tudela.
He said half of the CPA field north of the American Red Cross-NMI Chapter headquarters will be off limits to the public because military tents will be set up in the area for about 150 U.S. Air Force personnel.
Motorists driving through Airport Road and those using the CPA field for their sports and leisure activities should not be alarmed when they see a military camp, Tudela said.
He added that CPA and the administration of Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang support the military exercise.
CPA Airport Assistant Operations Supervisor Zack Reyes said Agile Reaper 24 is conducted yearly. Participating U.S. Air Force service members, he added, are expected to arrive on Saipan starting April 3 on a C-17 cargo aircraft.
The military exercise involves daily flights, two times a day, but this schedule is still tentative and there may be changes “as we go along,” Reyes said.
He said the goal of exercise is to achieve “agile combat readiness.” It is conducted to ensure readiness in the event that military action is needed, he added.
