News from Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo

Bordallo Welcomes Navy Secretary Gordon England to Guam

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – October 14, 2004 – Hagåtña, Guam –

Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo welcomed Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England to Guam as they touched down together at Andersen Air Force Base this afternoon.  Secretary England is in Guam to attend the commissioning of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Sequoia on Oct. 15, and to be the guest of honor at the Navy’s 229^th birthday celebration.  The Sequoia, a 225 ft. Juniper Class buoy tender, is a $29 million upgrade to Guam’s security and will have a diverse list of missions including managing the Coast Guard’s fleet of buoys, stopping illegal fishing, assisting vessels in distress and bolstering homeland security.  Mrs. Dorothy England is the sponsor of the Sequoia and christened the vessel when it was launched from the Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard in Wisconsin in August of 2003.  At the time, Secretary England was serving as the first Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the U.S. Coast Guard.

 Secretary England last visited Guam in February of this year, where he recognized Guam’s Sailors of the Year and was the guest speaker at the annual ceremony sponsored by the Guam chapter of the Navy League.  His first visit to Guam as Secretary of the Navy occurred in February of 2002, where he took a helicopter tour of the island.  This visit provides the Secretary with a unique opportunity to see the progress taking place on Guam.  Since his 2002 visit, the Navy has issued a multi-million dollar request for proposals for its base operation services at COMNAVMAR.  Additionally, an internal Navy study was reported to suggest that Guam would be a logical place to host additional submarines as a way to cut costs for the Navy while still meeting mission requirements.  The Navy is also considering placing a second carrier battle group in the Pacific.

Several sites of possible interest for the Secretary could include the Kilo Wharf at Apra Harbor, which is set to receive a $12.5 million upgrade to its ammunition handling capabilities and the Fena Reservoir chlorination system, which is also set to receive $20.7 million to improve water quality in the coming year.  Both military construction projects and a $2.2 million transportation storage facility for the Navy Seals were included in the Fiscal Year 2005 Military Construction Appropriations Act, which passed both houses of Congress last week.  The President is expected to sign the legislation into law today, after the final Presidential Debate in Tempe, Arizona.

            “Secretary England’s visit to our island is another great opportunity to build on the good relations between Guam and the Navy and for everyone to congratulate the Coast Guard on the newest addition to their fleet.  I am sure that the Secretary will see that we welcome the Navy and when he visits Apra Harbor he will see that Guam is the perfect place to host additional submarines, Bordallo said. 

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Contact:  Neil Weare or Joaquin Perez in Guam at (671) 477-4272.