Department of War seeks to expand footprint on Guam; eyes land purchase

By Jayvee Vallejera

The U.S. Department of War is seeking to buy more lands outside the military bases on island, the Guam-based think tank Pacific Center for Island Security said, taking the military to task for not including an appropriation request for affordable housing in its 2027 budget proposal.

PCIS noted that the department’s proposed $1.5 trillion budget, which includes construction projects on Guam, will undergo intense review in Congress and many still be trimmed, but it provides a glimpse of how the DoW is considering Guam in its allocation of resources.

The department’s budget this fiscal year is $961.6 billion.

“The DOW proposal for Guam projects entirely ignores the community’s cries to address housing and shelters. Moreover, the work on the unproven missile defense system now includes monies to buy land outside the fence,” said Robert Underwood, PCIS chair.

The budget proposal is asking Congress for $29 million to buy land in Guam.

PCIS said the projects came from military commanders stationed on Guam and Honolulu.

“Apparently, when it comes to responding to community concerns, military commands here and in Honolulu are MIA,” Underwood said.

Industry stakeholders have noted that housing costs are driven up by military personnel who live outside the fence and are reimbursed for their rent and other housing expenses. The costs are no longer affordable to Guam's working families.

Rental units, especially in select neighborhoods, are being accused of jacking up their prices and pricing out many members of the Guam community from these areas. This has led to a persistent housing crisis in Guam.

Overall, the proposed DoW expenditure for FY27 projects on Guam, totaling $1.456 trillion, will mostly go to ongoing projects, PCIS said.

Of that total proposed expenditure for Guam, 57 percent is for increments to ongoing projects or for cost to complete, such as replacing some  housing at Anderson Air Force base or for communications upgrades, PCIS said.

Just over 30 percent of proposed expenditures are for new projects, it added.

About 13 percent of the proposed expenditures are related to work being done on the missile shield being built in Guam, the Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense System, PCIS said.

The think tank’s analysis of the DOW budget proposal said the package request can be broadly categorized into three:—projects related to the anti-missile system, replacing or revitalizing housing units inside military bases and proposed upgrades to Polaris Point facilities such as its submarine pier.

These three categories make up 97.5 percent of DOW’s FY27 proposed expenditures for Guam, PCIS said.

The largest category of proposed expenditures, amounting to $953.6 million—57.1 percent of the proposed total—is for projects related to the enhanced missile shield.

The second largest category is to replace or revitalize on-base housing, amounting to $379.6 million or 22.7 percent of the proposed total for Guam projects.

PCIS said no funds for new housing are identified in the proposed budget.

Upgrades to Polaris Point facilities round out the top three categories, coming in at $293.8 million or 17.6 percent of the total.

The funding request for the DOW is the first step in the budget cycle in FY27. Its $1.5 trillion request is just a proposal as yet. PCIS said there is talk of a

reconciliation package of several hundred million dollars that may add funds to DOW activities over a five-year period.

The proposed expenditures are by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Army and for research, development, testing and evaluation.

The U.S. Air Force has no proposed construction projects in Guam for FY27.

For Palau, PCIS said the department is asking for $384.6 million to complete harbor improvements at the Palau Port.

For Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia, it proposes a budget of $169.2 million for harbor improvements and runway extension.