Torres suggests halt to CJMT talks and to focus first on divert airfield

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, who is currently in Washington, D.C., reportedly proposed to Assistant Defense Secretary Lucian Niemeyer to temporarily halt discussions on the CNMI Joint Military Training on Tinian and Pagan to focus on the U.S. Air Force’s divert plans on Tinian.

In the most recent update on Torres’ trip, press secretary Kevin Bautista told Saipan Tribune that the governor has proposed to halt discussion on the CJMT to focus on the construction and implementation of the Air Force Divert Activities and Exercises program on Tinian.

“It is our understanding that the Department of Defense has agreed with [Torres’] position,” said Bautista, adding that since discussions ensued, it has always been the governor’s and his administration’s position to have the divert program on Tinian.

“The governor emphasizes that he and members of our Legislature understand the significance our decisions have on the culture, the environment, and the quality of life of our people,” said Bautista.

He added that Torres remained appreciative to Niemeyer for meeting with him personally in Washington and for “having the voices of the CNMI heard in our nation’s capital at this critical time.”

The Commonwealth Ports Authority, on the other hand, has yet to make a final decision on the proposed divert program on Tinian, which is estimated to release $375 million for the improvement of the Tinian International Airport through additional facilities and infrastructures.

The divert program proposes to set up an “alternative airport” in the CNMI for the U.S. Air Force in case the Anderson Air Force Base is not available due to war or calamity. The “divert facility” would aid the U.S. Air Force in its divert operations, which include humanitarian assistance staging, exercises, and other aircraft support activities. All operations will take place within a maximum of eight weeks per year of exercises at the Tinian airport.

The CJMT, on the other hand, is a plan proposed by the U.S. Navy that allows their Marine Corps members to conduct live-fire training on the islands of Tinian and Pagan.

According to the administration’s statement, Torres proposed that the CJMT would be set aside for now in order to prioritize the divert program.