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THE revised 2006 Agreed Implementation Plan was released last Friday, which outlines the realignment of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
The agreement, which was released by the Security Consultative Committee, also summarizes the realignment of Marines to other locations in the Pacific region.
There will be between 4,700 to 5,000 forces transferred to Guam in the coming years, as well as forces transferred to Hawaii and the U.S. mainland.
Contrary to reports that about 60 percent of the troops transferred to Guam would be on a “rotational” status, Guam Military Buildup Chairperson Sen. Judi Guthertz announced that the Marines will be permanently stationed on Guam.
Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo in a statement expressed satisfaction on the revised agreement, but also raised concerns for infrastructure funding on Guam.
The preliminary estimated cost for the realignment will be closer to $8.6 billion, with $3.1 billion in direct financial support from the government of Japan, Bordallo announced.
The original estimated cost for the realignment was about $10.3 billion.
“The total cost of the Guam realignment has been reduced significantly and that should help to alleviate concerns over cost in these tight budgetary times. However, eliminating the Japanese Special Purpose Entity financing will require close coordination between the U.S. and Japan to ensure that certain infrastructure needs are able to be addressed by the new funding structure,” Bordallo said.
Bordallo additionally announced that the revised 2006 Agreed Implementation Plan codifies that progress on a Futenma Replacement Facility in Henoko, Okinawa is no longer tied to realigning Marines to Guam.
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