THE Commonwealth Bureau of Military Affairs lacks personnel and technical capacity, according to its centric report submitted to the Legislature last week.
Headed by Special Assistant for Military Affairs Glenna Sakisat Palacios, the bureau also reported that it spent $5.6 million in fiscal year 2021 in managing various programs and activities which include the Chiget Mortar Range Remediation Project, Tinian Harbor repairs, and the Pagan field characterization survey.
According to the centric report, the CNMI “continues to face personnel and technical capacity constraints to adequately assess and respond to the wide-ranging impacts proposed in the voluminous Environmental Impact Statements and proposals provided by the U.S. Department of Defense.”
The CNMI, the centric report added, “has limited technical staff to respond to the archaeological, biological, and environmental impacts associated with existing and proposed military training programs. Further, additional personnel is needed to provide for the necessary coordination and communication support that is central to the functions” of the bureau.
The bureau also vowed “to continue to seek more opportunities to expand the technical capacity of the CNMI government to adequately address concerns of the people and to seek benefits within the CNMI’s partnership with our nation’s military.”
Created by Executive Order 2019-09, the Commonwealth Bureau of Military Affairs serves as the CNMI’s central clearing house for all communications, documents, and information between the Department of Defense, and its various departments and commands. It also acts as the exclusive liaison between DoD and the CNMI government. It aids, assists, and coordinates the CNMI government in its engagements with DoD.
