Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature. 26 April 2022 Photo: Facebook / Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature
The US Department of Defense (DoD) and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) government have established a biosecurity working group to strengthen the inspection protocols during military training operations and construction projects in the US territory.
Under the new protocols, inspections, and pre-inspections of materials from sources outside the CNMI are administered at their origin and upon arriving in the CNMI.
This method ensures materials have multiple layers of inspections to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species.
The working group will also focus on the biosecurity facilities at the Tinian port to further improve biosecurity inspection procedures.
The construction of warehouses on Rota and Saipan is being planned to support logistical operations for military exercises, which would cut down on expenses and other logistics challenges with moving equipment on and off the island for every operational event.
The creation of the biosecurity working group was among the topics discussed during the DoD and CNMI government quarterly stakeholder discussions held last week on Saipan and Tinian.
These discussions are held to promote transparency and collaboration between DoD and across CNMI government agencies.
"We had a good discussion about the meaningful progress that the Department of Defense is making on mutually beneficial projects happening on Saipan, Rota, and Tinian," CNMI governor Arnold Palacios said.
"These projects include airport enhancements, road projects, and other concrete efforts that will benefit our community.
"Additionally, it was crucial that our discussion included initiatives on how the private sector is being engaged through opportunities that involve military infrastructure and programmatic activities."
Arnold Palacios (file image) Photo: RNZ Pacific / Mark Rabago
Palacios opened discussions by welcoming military leaders including US Navy Rear Admiral Greg Huffman, commander, Joint Task Force-Micronesia (JTF-M); and Rear Adm. Brent DeVore, commander, Joint Region Marianas (JRM); who attended in person. US Air Force Brigadier General Mike Zuhlsdorf, director of Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection for Pacific Air Forces, joined the discussions virtually.
Other key leaders in attendance included Lieutenant Governor David Apatang, House Speaker Edmund Villagomez, CNMI mayors, and members from the Senate.
"It is always great to come back to Saipan to visit the Marianas islands," DeVore said.
"Your hospitality and warmth as you welcome us is always wonderful and has really made this such a special place for me personally.
"There were thorough sets of updates with lots of deliberation and exchange of ideas during the various working groups. I'm very pleased with all the progress and richness of the work that our teams have done together."
'Keep the dialogue going'
During the meetings, military leaders provided updates on construction projects, training exercises and infrastructure initiatives while local and federal agencies had the opportunity to ask questions and establish points of contact for future collaboration.
"These discussions do not stop here," Huffman said.
"We will keep the dialogue going, so please keep bringing us your questions. We have robust working groups with a lot of great interactions and these are going to continue to advance.
"Over my two years of coming to these stakeholders meetings they have really come a long way. Together, we have accomplished a lot and there is a lot still to do.
He said open dialogue and communications remain critical to ensuring their partnership remains strong.
The mayor of Tinian expressed appreciation for the work the Air Force troops with the 513th Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron have done to the road construction leading to North Field and for the near completion of the clearing of vegetation of the airfield so far.
He also expressed gratitude to the Navy Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion THREE who have conducted repairs and upgrades to some roads in the Marpo Heights residential neighborhood.
In addition, about 65 percent of construction at the Tinian divert field has been completed while concrete and asphalt work is in progress.
Aside from military construction and training updates, stakeholders discussed the planning of future Industry Days to be held across the CNMI in spring, which encourages collaborative opportunities between local businesses and the government.
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Marianas (NAVFACMAR) and PACAF are engaging with CNMI agencies and the private sector to support education and training to ensure that local businesses are capable of participating in federal and local government contracting. The next Industry days are scheduled for the end of April and early May this year on Saipan, Tinian and Rota.
With each stakeholder meeting the DoD and CNMI continue to refine their strategies to balance military readiness with regional development and environmental responsibility.
As infrastructure projects progress and the security environment evolves, our leaders remain committed to fostering a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
"I want to thank the DoD for making sure that every community here in our islands is listened to and their concerns are heard and amplified up the chain of command," Palacios added.
The quarterly CNMI Stakeholders Meeting was established to foster collaboration among the DoD, local government, and federal agencies to share information, discuss, and provide recommendations for military activities and opportunities in the CNMI.
