Residents of Mariana Islands protest US military live-fire training plans

Residents start "our islands are sacred" campaign against proposed live-fire training on the island of Pagan.

Storified by AJAMStream· Mon, Nov 11 2013 15:07:29

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Advocates for preserving Pagan recently squared off with a representative of the pro-U.S. military group GUASA (Guam-U.S.-Asia Security Alliance) at a Rotary Club meeting in Guam. At the meeting, GUASA representative Juan Carlos Benitez described the proposed use of Pagan as a "linchpin" in U.S. plans to expand its military presence and influence in Asia. Benitez also said military pilots need to experience firsthand the use of live bombs and ammunition. Jerome Aldan, a resident of Guam who was born on Pagan, reacted to the GUASA meeting in a statement to the Saipan Tribune:

“Military war birds are presently dropping bombs and silencing native birds on Farallon de Medinilla, an island that is part of the Northern Islands archipelago just north of Saipan. DOD does not need to take my home to bomb and silence our thriving wildlife and teeming marine life too. Our islands in the Marianas are sacred. We have given up Tinian, Tanapag, and FDM already for the defense of our country. We must protect the islands that we now have for the present and future generations to enjoy and benefit from. Enough is enough.”saipantribune.com



Kahoʻolawe in the Hawaiian Islands and Farallon de Medinilla in the Northern Mariana Islands have also been used in the past for bombing exercises by the U.S. military. Bombing exercises like the one pictured below were ceased on Farallon de Medinilla after the Navy was charged with environmental destruction of the island and violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 2002. The injunction on bombing the island was overturned this year, allowing the Navy to resume training with bombs, missiles and naval artillery. The U.S. military has a long history of using islands similar to Pagan for live ammunition training. Residents of the island of Bikini Atoll were evacuated for nuclear testing in the 1940s, and to date the island is only populated by 4-6 caretakers

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What do you think? Should the military be permitted to conduct live-fire exercises on Pagan?