Number Of Guam-Bound U.S. Marines Rises
(Marianas Variety)
Planners have upped the number of U.S. Marines and their dependents who are expected to relocate from Okinawa to Guam, the Marianas Variety reports.
Officials now expect 12,849 Marines, rather than the original 8,000 estimate, to move to Guam. They would be accompanied by 10,350 family members, up from the 9,000 earlier reported. The newspaper, citing an April 2008 Guam and CNMI Military Relocation draft environmental impact statement, says an additional 5,000 civilians are also expected to be relocated when the Marines move to Guam.
The Marines and their family members are expected to begin moving to Guam in 2014.
The EIS also said that military planners considered a number of places to relocate the Third Marine Expeditionary Force, including Hawaii, Alaska, California, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore and Australia. But Guam's strategic location, with relatively short response time to crisis points in Asia, makes it the best location, the report said.
http://www.mvariety.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=11438&format=html
