Maj. Gen. Francis J. Wiercinski was accompanied by Command Sgt. Maj. William Franklin of the U.S. Army Japan & I Corps (Forward); Col. Al Neyland, G-3; Lt. Col. Harry Blanco, senior reserve components advisor of the U.S. Army Japan & I Corps; Capt. Hardy Johnson, aide-de-camp for the major general; and attorney Edward Manibusan, CNMI civilian aide to the secretary of the Army.
Lawmakers said the two-star general briefly discuss with them the military buildup but no specific details were disclosed.
Wiercinski, a veteran of different wars in the Middle East and Panama, is the second ranking military official to visit the CNMI in less than two weeks.
Last week, Brig. Gen. Philip M. Ruhlman, commander of the U.S. Air Force 36th Wing in Andersen Air Force Base on Guam, also paid legislators a visit.
At least 8,000 U.S. Marines from different American bases in Okinawa, Japan will be relocated to Guam from 2012 through 2014.
Ruhlman said about 1,300 Air Force personnel from Japan will also be transferred to Guam during the period.
The U.S. Army and Air Force are exploring the possibility of using different islands within the 14-island chain of the CNMI for drills and exercises.
