Effects

According to previous studies on military base communities throughout the world, the Marianas Islands can expect to be faced with a variety of challenges associated with the military build-up. These effects will impact every aspect of life and will include massive environmental, socio-cultural, economic and political changes in which many residents of the Marianas are completely unaware.

Environmental / Ecological

Perhaps out of all the negative effects that will result from the build-up, the environment will be the first and most obvious area to be affected. The U.S. military is notorious for rampant misuse of land, especially in areas centered around military bases. Highly militarized areas are often put through a wide variety of environmental stresses that include everything from inadequate waste management, to toxic chemical spills to lands being destroyed by bombing and firing ranges.  The environment is used by the military to gain control over the area in which it dominates. The Mariana Islands are obvious symbols of such control since there are already large amounts of land on Guam and Tinian that are either owned or leased by the U.S. military, while whole islands such as Farallon De Mendinilla are used as targets for military exercises.

Below is a list of physical and physical/ecological effects that have been compiled to address the dangers associated with living in a highly militarized area. (1)  These are typical impacts experienced by base communities throughout the world and are addressed here in order to understand how the build-up will most likely affect the Mariana Islands. We should expect to see:

• Increased levels of and exposure to military toxins on land, sea, and air. These include VOC (volatile organic compounds), jet fuel, metals, pesticides and herbicides that result from aircraft, ship, and vehicle maintenance and operations, and base and off-base office and residential construction, maintenance, and operation.
• Increased radioactive exposures if certain weapon systems are stored and used in training
• Increased levels of noise pollution from military jets and land vehicles
• Increased levels of air and soil pollution as a result of increased vehicular traffic on local roads
• reduced local food supply quality and quantity as a result of air and water pollution
• Increased use of water and sewer system
• Increased levels of hazardous and non-hazardous waste disposal and potential for diversion, dumping or leaks
• Increased potential for land takings including coastal fishing, recreational, historical and sacred sites (i.e. monuments, federal reserves, etc.)
• Introduction of invasive species with increased air and sea traffic (i.e. brown tree snake, etc.)
• Impact on endangered species
• Impact on living/non-living coral reefs

If the effects of WWII are still evident such as unexploded ordnance, ammunitions, etc. even 60 years after the war, then imagine how these new environmental effects will compound the problems we are currently dealing with. In addition, we are still unaware of the damaging effects that the chemicals and toxins from WWII have had on these islands which only complicates the environmental situation even further.

Socio-Cultural, Political, Economic

• Intensified defense-dependency which makes local economies more vulnerable than a diversified economy
• Increased income and wealth inequality as some individuals profit substantially from the base increase and others are impoverished
• Educational and health benefits available to military and civilian segments of population can further increase inequality
• Increased cost of living, particularly for land and housing
• Unemployment rates volatile. May be initially lowered during construction phase unless labor supply brought in from off-island. Introduction of military dependents into local labor force to increase unemployment over the long run
• Job growth in, and increased reliance, on low-paying retail sector
• Altered balance of local politics, including skewing of local population demographics and their political effects
• Defense supply chain multiplier effects on economy anticipated to be no stronger in future than now,  i.e. few if any defense-related industries have grown up on Guam over the last century and are unlikely to do so now
• Increase in numbers of retired military personnel remaining in the Marianas with depressive impact on wages in local business and lowered support for local schools

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