Guam is a small island-nation that is under the US territory. It is located in the western part of the Pacific Ocean and is one of the five U.S territories with an established civilian government. Guam is the largest and southernmost part of the Mariana Islands. The small island is known to be one of the most favorite tourist spots with its beautiful white sand beaches and cultural places.
Recently, there had been news about a military build-up in the said island. Around 19,000 American troops and their family based on Okinawa, Japan will leave their base and relocate to Guam. This may come as a bad omen for the natives of Guam as the country would just seem crowded with the added population but there are some positive views on this change.
One thing is the possible economic boom in the country. Joe Arnett, the partner in charge of tax services and information technology in Guam and Micronesia, sees this as a good opportunity for the economy of the island.
Guam has never seen this level of investment into the island ever before.– Says Arnett in an interview.
He also said that he expect the military buildup to create 30,000 new jobs in the island. Although many will be temporary construction jobs will be filled by foreign workers, there would still be high and permanent jobs in the community. This will be a good opportunity for the island that is struggling with an eight percent of unemployment rate.
This can also create a “union” between the natives and the Americans. According to a blogger, natives don’t consider themselves as part of the American community even though, technically, they are American citizens. With more Americans coming and enjoying what the island can offer, the natives can interact with them and also see that they are Americans in one way or another. At the same time, more Americans will recognize the country as a part of theirs as well.
As stated above, the military build-up may not be as bad as what the natives think it is. All it takes is for them as well as the American citizens to act as one despite the change.