In this US Air Force image obtained from the US Defense Department, two US Air Force B-1B Lancers prepare to take off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. 10 October 2017 Photo: AFP Photo / US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Joshua Smoot
Guam's acting governor wants the deadline extended for submissions on missile testing plans.
The US Missile Defence Agency (MDA) gave the people of Guam 30 days, until 2 July, for submissions on the proposal, which could allow missile testing twice a year for 10 years.
Guam's acting governor Joshua Tenorio wrote to Lieutenant General Heath Collins of the MDA and requested a 60-day extension of the deadline.
He stated being concerned the tests affecting landowners and residents in northern Guam.
The US territory is not only a military base but also home to at least 170,000 people.
It is also visited by millions of tourists - there were 1.6 million visitors to Guam in 2019. The majority of arrivals came from Korea, followed by Japan.
"I am most especially concerned about any impacts on land owners, including the possibility of the need to evacuate their properties during testing," Tenorio.
Pacific Center for Island Security (PCIS) chair Robert Underwood welcomed the extension request and said the wider community deserved a discussion about the proposed missile testing.
"Acting Governor Tenorio's request is critical. Fully assessing the community impact requires more than a 30-day notice that the MDA provided," he said.
Underwood criticised the Defence Agency for not first issuing a draft proposal before this final proposal was released for "review".
The US Missile Defence Agency's proposed final of the Environmental Assessment/Overseas Environmental Assessment (EA/OEA) states, "Notice of restrictions would be provided well in advance of any necessary land closures, and the Department of Defense would coordinate with affected private landowners to relocate during this time period at no cost to the land owners temporary restrictions would be rare (one to two times per year) and would be in place for up to four days."
RNZ Pacific has contacted the MDA for comment.
