Navy assesses future use for Tinian

A team of military engineers from the U.S. Navy visited the Commonwealth yesterday to discuss possible future plans that the military has for the islands, particularly Tinian.

Capt. David Boone, the Navy’s officer-in-charge for construction in the Marianas, and his team met with Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente to brief the local executive of the use assessment the Navy is currently conducting for the military-leased land on Tinian.

The military leases some 17,799 acres of public land on Tinian, which comprises approximately two-thirds of the island’s land mass. Approximately 6,458 acres of this landmass have been leased back by the CNMI government.

“The military is looking at all possibilities for training areas in the Pacific,” Boone said in a media release from Capitol Hill. “The fact that we are currently leasing land on Tinian makes the island worth further exploration.”

CNMI press secretary Pete Callaghan said Boone is anticipating wider use of the Marianas in line with troop realignments that President Bush recently announced. Boone noted, though, that plans for Tinian would be based on the findings of the Bases Realignment and Closure Committee, which would release its findings sometime next year.

Benavente assured the CNMI’s support for military plans on the islands, saying that local officials would fully cooperate with the ongoing military use evaluation of Tinian.

“The military is a good neighbor and we hope to provide them every assistance they need in performing their mission. At the same time, I know the Armed Forces respect the wishes of the local population wherever they go,” Benavente reportedly said.

Benavente said the cooperation between the CNMI and the military puts both parties in a “win-win situation.” He also discussed with the Navy team to free up portions of the military-leased land to accommodate infrastructure projects, such as a new landfill and water treatment plant.

“Captain Boone was optimistic that land could be freed for these projects on the western side of the island near the Voice of America compound because the military has already agreed not to disrupt the VOA operation,” Callaghan said.

He said the leaseback agreement runs on a month-to-month basis after expiring earlier this year.

Several high-ranking military officials made personal visits to the CNMI earlier this year, whose activities included overflights or visits to Tinian.