Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, second right, and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, center, are accompanied by their security aides as they disembark from the USS John Finn which made its first port call on Saipan on Sunday.
GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios on Monday reiterated the CNMI government’s support for the U.S. military as he and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang welcomed the officers and crew members of the USS John Finn, a guided missile destroyer, at the Port of Saipan.
“It is going to be a different world,” the governor said, referring to the geopolitical situation in the region.
“But we continue to support our military. We are Americans and the CNMI is just one part of the overall strategy in the region for our nation and our allies,” said the governor who also noted that CDR Matthew Hays, the USS John Finn’s commanding officer, was on Saipan 19 years ago.
Hays said he was on another ship in 2004 to attend the 60th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Saipan. He was in the early years of his Naval career at the time.
For his part, the new Joint Region Marianas Commander, Rear Adm. Gregory C. Huffman, said the CNMI’s support for the military has been fantastic.
“I’ve been in the area for about a month now and every single person I’ve met is so welcoming,” he added. “I know the people of Saipan have been very welcoming to the crew of USS John Finn. It just shows how closely interlaced we are and how we rely upon each other and how we are all part of one team and one nation,” Huffman said.
He said those who have been following the geopolitical issues in the Pacific have come to a realization that the Chinese expansion in the area “is probably the biggest threat to global order and to the rules-based order that we all adhere to, and is critical for commerce, for the free flow of goods, and for economic development.”
He said the Indo-Pacific Command will continue to work with U.S. allies and with the people of the CNMI which, he added, is a critical portion of the region.
“I see the CNMI as being a very vital part of all our defense initiatives as we move forward in the region,” he said.
