Military

Naval Air Station, Agana [Tiyan]

Located at the centroid of the island, the former Naval Air Station Agana consists of over 1,700 acres. The base was closed by decision of the BRAC '93 Commission. Aircraft runways and operational areas are located on base which were jointly used by the Navy and the only civilian airport, the A.B. Won Pat International Airport. The BRAC '95 Commission concurred with the relocation of Naval squadrons to CONUS bases and closed the NAS Officers Housing area.

Military air facilities in Guam include an air field at Andersen Air Force Base and the Naval Air Station, which is alongside the international airport. The A.B. Won Pat International Airport, formerly known as the Guam International Airport, is a major Pacific airline crossroad. Although airline services vary frequently, the following companies have provided service to the islands in recent years. Contact local airport authorities for a current list of airlines that service the islands. Continental Air Micronesia, Northwest Airlines, Japan Air Lines, Nippon Airways, and Hawaiian Airlines serve international routes with connections that include Hawaii, the U.S. mainland, Japan, and Australia. Air Micronesia and Air Nauru connect Guam with nearby islands in Micronesia; Air Nauru operates flights to Australia and New Zealand via Nauru. Several flights a day are made to the neighboring islands of Saipan and Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

In July 1993, the BRAC Commission recommended that Agana Naval Air Station be closed. Operational functions were assumed by other Naval Air Stations in Hawaii and the continental United States. The base was closed on March 31, 1995. The BRAC 1995 report changed the receiving site specified by the 1993 Commission (1993 Commission Report, at page 1-21) for "the aircraft, personnel, and associated equipment" from the closing Naval Air Station, Agana, Guam from "Andersen AFB, Guam" to "other naval or DoD air stations in the Continental United States and Hawaii."

Other BRAC 95 actions recommended the partial closure of Naval Activities, Guam, with retention of the waterfront assets, and the relocation of all of the vessels currently homeported at Naval Activities, Guam to Hawaii. Among the aircraft at Naval Activities, Guam is a squadron of helicopters performing logistics functions in support of these vessels. This redirect would collocate these helicopters with the vessels they support. Similarly, regarding the other aircraft at the closing Naval Air Station, the Fleet Commander-in-Chief desired operational synergies for his surveillance aircraft, which results in movement away from Guam. This redirect more centrally collocates those aircraft with similar assets in Hawaii and on the West Coast, while avoiding the new construction costs required in order to house these aircraft at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, consistent with the Department's approach of eliminating capacity by not building new capacity.

The total estimated one-time cost to implement this recommendation was $43.8 million. The net of all costs and savings during the implementation period is a savings of $213.8 million. Annual recurring savings after implementation are $21.7 million with an immediate return on investment expected. The net present value of the costs and savings over 20 years is a savings of $418 million.

Assuming no economic recovery, this recommendation could result in a maximum potential reduction of 1,641 jobs (1,272 direct jobs and 369 indirect jobs) over the 1996-to-2001 period in the Agana, Guam economic area, which is 2.5 percent of economic area employment. The cumulative economic impact of all BRAC 95 recommendations and all prior-round BRAC actions in the economic area over the 1994-to-2001 period could result in a maximum potential decrease equal to 10.6 percent of employment in the economic area. However, much of this impact involves the inclusion of MSC mariners in the job loss statement, which does not reflect the temporary nature of their presence on Guam.

The Guam Air Pollution Control District is in attainment for carbon monoxide, ozone, and PM-10. Relocation of these aviation assets will remove a source of air emissions thus enhancing the air quality of Guam. Both NAS Whidbey Island and MCB/MCAF Hawaii are in an attainment area for carbon monoxide, ozone, and PM-10, and thus this relocation will not require a conformity determination. NAS North Island, on the other hand, is in an area which is in moderate non-attainment for carbon monoxide and severe non-attainment for ozone. Thus, a conformity determination may be required to evaluate the impact on air quality. Plans to disestablish current active squadrons support the ability to obtain a conformity determination. Adequate utility support and undeveloped property for expansion exist at NAS North Island. Similarly, at NAS Whidbey Island, force downsizing over the next six years will be in excess of the additional personnel and aircraft from this action. There will be no adverse impact to threatened/endangered species, sensitive habitats and wetlands, or cultural/historical resources occasioned by this recommendation.

NAS Agana, now known as Tiyan, was operationally closed on March 31, 1995. Approximately 6.6 acres (2.7 hectares) of the total 2,031.6 acres (822.2 hectares) of land at NAS Agana were transferred to other federal agencies. The former officer housing site consisting of 92 acres (37.3 hectares) was not included in the 1993 base closure for NAS Agana, however it was later included as part of a 1995 base closure action and was proposed for disposal under a separate disposal action.

The base reuse plan recommended by the Komitea Para Tiyan, a committee appointed by the Local Redevelopment Authority, was approved by the Governor of Guam. It includes the preferred reuse alternative of the Government of Guam and Navy. This plan consists of the following major elements: airport expansion including runway and taxiway extensions with an additional full-length parallel taxiway, and development of cargo, maintenance, and other facilities; onsite roadways to provide access to new developments and improve regional circulation; and redevelopment of land not used for airport operations that emphasizes commercial and industrial uses.

1,400 acres are proposed for continued civilian airport operations and related industrial park development. 250 acres are proposed as an Economic Development Zone to include the Tiyan Free Trade Zone; the Tiyan Commercial Plaza; the Guam Government and Civic Center; and the Tiyan Airport Industrial Park. 40 acres are proposed for the Tiyan Recreational Park, incorporation existing athletic facilities, and 2 acres are allocated to accommodate the continuum of care needs of Guam's homeless population. The remaining acreage is proposed for highway development, including the Laderan Tiyan Parkway to alleviate traffic on Marine Drive, Guam's most heavily traveled highway. The Mariner Parkway which will connect routes 8 and 16; and the route 10 extension, along with other secondary and collector roads.

On May 10, 2000 the Department of the Navy issued the Record of Decision (ROD) concerning the disposal and reuse of Naval Air Station Agana. The ROD is an environmental document and does not convey the Naval Air Station property. Conveyance, or transfer of title of the property, is a separate matter that will be undertaken during later discussions between the Navy and the Government of Guam. The ROD is the final step in the environmental evaluation process mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. NEPA requires federal agencies such as the Department of the Navy to consider the impact that major federal actions, such as the disposal and reuse of Naval Air Station Agana, may have on the environment. The ROD announces the Navy's decision to dispose of property associated with Naval Air Station Agana in a manner that is consistent with the reuse plan prepared by the Government of Guam and is in keeping with the Defense Department's community-based reuse objectives. The Navy concluded that the Government of Guam's proposed redevelopment of the Naval Air Station property responds to local economic conditions, promotes rapid economic recovery from the impact of the Air Station's closure, and is consistent with President Clinton's five-part plan for revitalizing base closure communities. The president's plan emphasizes job creation and local economic redevelopment of the closed facility.

Rear Admiral Charles R. Kubic, Commander, Pacific Division (PACDIV) Naval Facilities Engineering Command and the Honorable Carl T.C. Gutierrez, governor of Guam, met in Honolulu 08 June 2000 to sign an agreement leasing Navy land at the former NAS Agana to the Government of Guam. The ceremony officially leased 136 Navy housing units on 92 acres and the former two-acre Navy Tamuning Telephone Exchange area consisting of an office/maintenance building and surrounding property. The real estate was transferred in accordance with the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act mandated by Congress. The lease was requested by the Government of Guam to allow reuse and development of the property before actual conveyance and transfer of the property takes place.

The Master Plan for the Guam International Airport includes an Airport Layout Plan (APL) which has recently been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, U. S. Department of Transportation. The APL proposes various air field and land-side development projects over a 20 year planning horizon to improve operational capabilities and expand operational capacities within the airport environment. Air field projects include runway rehabilitation; runway extensions and construction of a new taxiway. Upon completion of these projects, the Airport will have two operational runways over 11,000 feet long and a taxiway to relieve congestion on the south ramp of the airline terminal. Land-side development projects include cargo and airport maintenance facilities; general aviation and fixed base operations; fuel farm; a new air traffic control tower; distribution warehouses and a flight school. The air field is already being used by the Airport Authority under a continuation of the joint use agreement with the Navy while land-side areas are currently being leased by the Authority from the Navy pending deed transfer. An application for the transfer of property proposed for airport use under the Public Benefit Conveyance authority has been submitted by GAA for Navy and FAA approval.