Tug-of-war over limited housing units on Guam worries senator

By Jayvee Vallejera

Guam currently needs nearly 10,000 affordable homes for its civilian residents, hence the U.S. military's plan to acquire 2,400 off-base housing units for incoming personnel would further strain the island's acute housing shortage, according to Sen. Sabina Perez.

The senator raised the urgent concern with Rear Adm. Brett Mietus, commander of Joint Region Marianas, and sought additional information on the military plan.

Sabina Perez

She asked whether an environmental review had been conducted and whether a study had been done on the potential burden that off-base accommodation would place on Guam’s limited housing market.

A federal solicitation in September 2025 indicated that the U.S. Navy is seeking 800 single-unit homes for unaccompanied personnel and 1,600 housing units for those with their families.

The revised agreement between the U.S. and Japan calls for the relocation of 5,000 Marines plus their dependents. The vanguard, consisting of 100 troops, arrived in December 2024. They are currently housed in a newly completed bachelor's quarters at Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz.

In addition to the Marines’ relocation, the U.S. Army-led Guam missile defense system will bring additional troops and civilian personnel to the island.

According to the record of decision, the enhanced integrated air and missile defense system will deploy approximately 2,300 military, civilian personnel and their dependents to Guam, along with 44 supporting contractors, beginning in 2031.

The Department of War is seeking to tap the private sector to provide military housing due to a housing deficit on its own bases.

Perez said the proposed solution risks exacerbating housing shortages and pushing rental prices even higher for local families.

“Increased military presence on Guam must not worsen housing insecurity for our residents,” said Perez.

She demands transparency, full environmental review and "meaningful" input from the people of Guam before any plans move forward.

“We must ensure that federal actions do not come at the expense of our people’s ability to access safe and affordable housing,” Perez said.

She noted that the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act does not include additional construction of military housing on Andersen Air Force Base, other than the previously authorized “replacement of Andersen housing," which covers only about 250 units.

Instead of using its billions to build housing behind the fence, Perez said, the military places the burden of addressing housing shortages on the local government and civilian population.

“Clarity is needed on several factors related to JRM’s projected housing needs and whether Guam has the capacity to meet these needs when it has yet to meet the housing needs of its local population,” Perez said in her letter to Mietus.

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