Guam/Wing commander discusses Air Force plans

"The military plans to spend as much as $15 billion on Guam during
the next decade to expand the military presence here, including the
transfer of about 8,000 marines from bases in Okinawa."


Guam/Wing commander discusses Air Force plans
By Steve Limtiaco


Pacific Daily News
slimtiaco@guampdn.com
http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061115/
NEWS01/611150326/1002

Officials from Pacific-Rim countries have been invited to Guam,
Hawaii and the U.S. mainland early next year to observe
demonstrations of the new Global Hawk unmanned aircraft that will be
launched and recovered from Guam, said Brig. Gen. Douglas Owens, who
is the new commander of the 36th Wing at Andersen Air Force Base.

Owens, who has been at Andersen for about 3 weeks, said he traveled
to Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia during his last assignment to
discuss the military's plans for Global Hawk in the Pacific.




One of the aircraft will be on Guam in the spring for testing only,
he said, and the first of several permanent aircraft for Guam is not
expected to arrive until 2009.

"I am extraordinarily happy to be here," he said of his assignment to
Guam. He replaced Air Force Col. Michael Boera on Oct. 25. "The
opportunity to command a wing in the Air Force is something that few
folks get the chance to do. So this is a great honor for me to be
here -- to be the first general officer in some time to come back to
command this wing."
Owens said his primary responsibility is the bombers, tankers and
other military aircraft that are based at Andersen or that pass
through the base. "Close on the heels of that is all of the growth
and buildup that we've talked about," he said.

In addition to the construction of a complex for the Global Hawk
aircraft, infrastructure is being installed at Northwest Field, he said.

The military plans to spend as much as $15 billion on Guam during the
next decade to expand the military presence here, including the
transfer of about 8,000 marines from bases in Okinawa.

"I will strive to work closely with the local community and local
government to take into account their concerns as it relates to what
we do on this base," Owens said.

He said he believes residents will benefit from the ongoing changes
at Andersen.

"I see the buildup here as a win-win for everybody," he said, adding
that improvements to the Department of Defense capability on Guam,
"will go hand-in-hand with a boost to the local economy as well