By Rory Respicio As the Port of Guam enters 2026, the focus is on continuity through execution. This will not be a year of reset or redirection. It will be a year centered on delivering commitments already made, protecting the systems built over time and ensuring the port continues to perform reliably as modernization advances. This message is a clear case for continuity of management and leadership principles under shared governance. The progress outlined here did not occur

Two smart analyses. Two different readings of what’s at stake. Yet both share the same omission: neither spends any time on the places that would feel the first shockwaves—Guam, the freely associated states and their Pacific neighbors.

In fiscal 2025, the CNMI’s only industry, tourism, brought in only about 160,000 visitors—roughly 67 percent fewer than in pre-pandemic 2019. The tourism industry needs at least 500,000 annual visitors just to stay afloat.