Mabus was accompanied by Rear Adm. Douglass Biesel, commander, Joint Region Marianas; and Brig. Gen. Rex McMillian, deputy commanding general, Marine Corps Forces, Pacific.
Mabus’s group and CNMI officials, including legislators, held a closed-door meeting in the governor’s conference room.
“The meeting with the CNMI leadership is very important for Secretary Mabus, not just for the islands but also for the region,” said CNMI Military Liaison and Veterans Affairs Office executive officer Ruth Coleman.
Coleman said the military buildup on Guam was discussed during the CNMI officials’ meeting with Mabus.
Mabus also held a closed door meeting with the Saipan Chamber of Commerce before leaving for Guam yesterday.
The Navy’s Web site said Mabus is the 75th secretary of the department and is responsible for an annual budget in excess of $150 billion.
He conducts all the affairs of the Department of the Navy, including recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training, and mobilizing.
Additionally, he oversees the construction, outfitting, and repair of naval ships, equipment and facilities, and is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies and programs consistent with national security policies and objectives established by the president and the secretary of Defense.
