Government

Guam is the furthest west US territory for military basing in the Pacific and will serve as the nation’s first line of defense – or “tip of the spear”. The DoD and Government of Japan are investing an estimated $15 billion in Guam – one of the largest movements of military assets in decades. As part of the Defense Policy Review Initiative (DPRI), the Guam population of 171,000 is expected to triple including the redeployment of 8,000 Marines from Okinawa, Japan.

Hurricane Katrina devastated a wide area from New Orleans across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, including Keesler Air Force Base. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff described the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as “probably the worst catastrophe, or set of catastrophes” in the country’s history. To reconstruct Keesler AFB, new construction was estimated at over $600 million including the largest military family housing (MFH) program in the Air Force’s history.

Under the BRAC directive, the DoD is streamlining its portfolio of installations to optimize their value, significantly reduce cost of ownership, and facilitate transformation, common operations, and shared business functions. BRAC combined with significant military construction (MILCON) projects created a more than $3 billion surge in construction of over 180 projects including 78 major facilities at four military installations in the San Antonio area.