The Pacific Center for Island Security said the military’s environmental impact statement for the proposed Guam missile defense system overstates the effectiveness of the system’s technology.
Last week, the military released the impact statement for the Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense system on Guam. The Missile Defense Agency and the Army identified 16 proposed sites to operate and maintain the system on Guam.
Three hearings were held in 2023, and two draft environmental impact study meetings were held last year.
“This EIS release demonstrates that the Department of Defense is dedicated to transparency and protection of habitats as we bring together advanced missile defense technologies to defend the U.S. homeland on Guam," Navy Rear Adm. Brett Mietus, commander, Joint Region Marianas, said in a release announcing the study.
Construction would start this year, and be completed in about 10 years.
The Pacific Center for Island Security has been a critic of the missile system. On Monday, the group issued a statement saying the plan “offers a militarized technological solution to complex strategic, diplomatic, and economic challenges, while the people of Guam are offered a frontline seat to conflict.”
The group criticized plans to ensure the safety of the civilian population, saying that the claim to “’defend the people, infrastructure, and territory of Guam’ is not credible. In addition to the recognized limits of the proposed system, even casual observers of recent and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine understand that shelters for the population are an essential element of population security. The U.S. government has not offered any program or even a study to shelter the people of the territory of Guam.”
Peacetime issues, like the impact of military expansion on housing, medical services and native forests and species, was also questioned by the Pacific Center for Island Security.
The Missile Defense Agency and the Army will wait a minimum of 30 days after publication of the final EIS before making a decision on the action.
For more information on the plan, visit https://www.mda.mil/system/eiamd/.
