SENATORS have introduced a resolution urging the Department of Defense secretary to submit a master plan of the Guam military buildup, which is required by Congress before they can move forward and provide funding.

Democrat Sens. Rory Respicio, Judi Guthertz and Tom Ada authored Resolution No. 458-31 (COR) requesting that Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta submit a Guam Joint Military Master Plan to Congress. Panetta on June 2 spoke about the revised plan to relocate Marines from Okinawa to Guam to further develop Guam as a strategic hub for the U.S. military in the Western Pacific.

In a press release sent from his office yesterday, Respicio stated: “Secretary Panetta’s June 2 announcement of the revised relocation agreement paves the way for the development of the required Guam Joint Military Master Plan. Congress has repeatedly said they need this in order to fund the buildup. Now that the relocation details have been agreed upon, DOD can move forward with drawing up the plan.”

Earlier this month, Sens. Frank Blas and Tony Ada were informed by Sen. James Webb, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, that the Senate was still awaiting DOD’s master plan for Guam so the realignment of forces can move forward.

Sen. Blas in a news release said DOD’s non-submission of a master plan to the Senate was the cause of the delay and downscaling of the Marine realignment to Guam.

“DOD has not been able to comply with requests for the Guam master plan, in part because the buildup’s size and scope has been changing,” stated Guthertz, chairwoman of the buildup committee. “Sen. Webb has said that Guam ‘continues to be vital to a robust defense structure and should expect a significant increase in military presence,’ and that can only happen after the master plan has been completed,” she added.

For his part, Ada explained that without the master plan, the buildup may not happen.

“We look forward to DOD’s completion of the master plan so Congress can move to find the funding and put the buildup back on track,” he stated in the release. “We introduced this resolution because, without action on the master plan, there can’t be a buildup. We hope that every senator, and everyone who wants this buildup to take place, will join us in support.”