HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The relocation of Marines to Guam has infused millions in construction projects into the island, but that’s only the beginning of the Department of Defense’s investment in strategic defense in the Indo-Pacific region — as over $11 billion in new military and commercial construction, maintenance and service contracts are expected over the next five years.
“Guam and the [Northern] Marianas, as well as other Micronesian islands, are experiencing the largest U.S. defense design, construction, supply, and service initiatives in recent history. At the same time, commercial construction and public infrastructure projects created by the American Rescue Plan are creating unprecedented opportunities for designers, constructors, suppliers, and service companies,” said the Society of American Military Engineers, which hosted The Guam Industry Forum.
Presentations began on Monday, with a regional view of the military outlook for Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and island nations in Micronesia. The forum offered the opportunity for the construction community to engage with military officials and have open dialogue on the military buildup for Guam and the region.
Of the $11 billion, Guam is seeing over $2 billion worth of military projects, said Capt. Robert Stiles, officer in charge of construction at Marine Corps Marianas. He spoke at the forum about ongoing and upcoming projects at Camp Blaz’s main cantonment area and other military installations.
“We have 31 projects going on worth $2.2 billion…and of that $2.2 billion, I think we have about 17 of those projects are government of Japan funded,” he said, later adding, “There’s a lot of construction going on at Camp Blaz main cantonment and more coming…next year.”
On Andersen Air Force Base, there are a few projects the military is finishing up, Stiles noted, adding AAFB projects were probably the most mature part of the program being carried out currently.
“Way up north, the Mason live-fire training range complex, we’ve actually completed the first four of those training ranges,” he said. “So even before the first Marines arrive in 2024, we have an opportunity to open those ranges up for local community, National Guard and other services for them to get out there and use.”
Right now, work is being done on a machine gun range. On Andersen South, there are a few more projects underway as well.
“(A) grenade range, combat vehicle operations force, live-fire shooting house and then a … big training complex, where we utilize a lot of the old houses that are there, reconverted that, added some things to it and added two additional buildings like a mock embassy, hospital, school house…to allow the Marines to come and train in a very realistic environment,” Stiles said.
He said the military is making legacy investments in Guam and the region.
“We are doing a lot of things that are going to be around for a long time to support the Marine Corps and their capabilities. We are doing some things that will help the local construction industry and local businesses and supply chains,” he said. “It’s going to result in facilities that are around for decades.”
Safety is important, according to Stiles, who said the major construction program and the billions worth of individual projects, can be done safely.
“We have engaged contractors that care about their workers, that do the right thing to keep them safe while they’re executing the construction program very responsibly,” he said, noting that between 5.2 million manpower hours of military construction, 42 projects and $3.2 billion spent, there are “zero” Occupational Safety and Health Administration mishaps reported in fiscal year 2022.
A number of companies were recognized and commended for their safety records, including Core Tech International Corp., a major local partner of the military on Guam. The Guam Daily Post is affiliated with Core Tech.
“We are well below the national average of all those statistics, if you look at every contractor and every project, we are below the national average — so it’s not just we have a few good contractors, we have a lot of good contractors right now taking care of folks, so it is possible,” he said.
In addition to a limited local construction workforce, Guam has a limited number of contractors for a program of this scale. Stiles noted that military construction projects utilize H-2B workers currently, but stressed that the local workforce must be further developed.
“How do we work with University of Guam and (Guam) Trades Academy to develop the workforce? That’s not just for the contractors, we need those trades contractors, that’s also for my workforce, that’s also for all of the other things that happen here on the island, GovGuam,…civil services,” he said.
The forum helped to entice contractors to learn more about how to do business with the military on Guam and execute a construction program, by providing the opportunity for networking and engaging with decision-makers as well as other local contractors.
The forum will wrap up on Wednesday, with a window tour of key Department of Defense project sites.
Capt. Robert Stiles speaks during a panel discussion on “Military Construction Outlook for Guam, the CNMI and Micronesia” at The Guam Industry Forum Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, at the Dusit Thani Guam Resort in Tumon.
