Vol. 10 No. 2 February 2026 | Page 12

Briefs
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

Guam still the tip of the spear

While the newly released National

Defense Strategy shifts the United States’ focus to the Western Hemisphere, Guam remains a significant component of deterrence and response, Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of the Indo- Pacific Command.
“ Guam sits at the forward edge of the tyranny of distance. Guam anchors our ability to surge, sustain and respond,” Paparo said, noting that the U. S. defense strategy is challenged by the constraint of distance, time and space.
“ You can have the best ships. the
Samuel Paparo
best aircraft, the best troops, most importantly. But if
you can’ t get combat power ashore, you don’ t turn the map,” Paparo said at the Honolulu Defense Forum in mid- January.
Paparo cited Guam’ s missile defense system as an example of how the U. S. military can meet its strategic needs.
“ Guam is the homeland, and we defend our homeland in a way that makes sense in the 21st century as an integrated system of sensors, shooters, command and control, logistics, power and resilience built to stay on its feet,” he added.( Mar-Vic Cagurangan)

US company eyes deep-sea mining near Guam

Deep Sea Rare Minerals Inc., an American company, has cleared the
first step in its bid to explore a portion of the seabed off Guam for polymetallic nodules mining.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has determined that DSRM“ substantially complied” with the license application requirements, giving it a“ priority of right” over the target area in international waters.
DSRM has set a 2028 target year to begin extracting polymetallic nodules, depending on final regulatory approvals, technical feasibility, environmental review and financing.
The stamp of“ substantial compliance,” which is part of a multistep process under NOAA rules, means that the company’ s application to explore the target seabed area meets the minimum regulatory criteria to proceed to the next step of the licensing review.
( Jayvee Vallejera)

Arrival surge

The Guam Visitors Bureau has reported a significant surge in visitor numbers for November and the first half of December 2025. Total arrivals for the month of November reached 70,731, a 30.4 percent increase from 2024, while December 2025 reached 42,492 visitors in its first two weeks, marking a substantial 48.3 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

The strong November and early December performance is predominantly fueled by the robust growth of the Korea and Japan markets, which both had double digit increases.
“ Guam’ s tourism reset continues to show encouraging momentum, with December arrivals demonstrating exceptional growth,” said Régine Biscoe
Lee, the GVB president & CEO.( Pacific Island Times News Staff)

Blas-Okada team launches campaign

The gubernatorial team of Frank

Blas Jr. and Mary Okada officially set in motion their campaign to seek the Republican Party’ s nomination, promising a“ focused leadership with clear direction.”
Blas, speaker of the 38th Guam Legislature, said Guam needs“ leaders who see challenges not as roadblocks, but as opportunities to innovate; leaders who listen deeply to our people and turn shared ideas into coordinated action.”
Their announcement capped months of speculation about the Republican Party’ s second team set to face Vice Speaker Tony Ada and EJ Calvo’ s ticket in the Aug. 1 primary.
Dr. Michael Cruz, who was previously expected to join the race as a Republican candidate, has dropped his political plans to focus on his medical career.( Mar-Vic Cagurangan)

‘ Cancel visa-free entry for Chinese travelers’

Saipan— Three U. S. Republican senators are calling on the Trump administration to revoke visa-free entry for Chinese nationals traveling to the Northern Mariana Islands, arguing that the visa waiver program has fueled birth tourism, strained local resources and created national security vulnerabilities.

In a letter dated Jan. 15, Sens. Rick Scott, Jim Banks and Markwayne Mullin urged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, citinf historic spikes in Chinese birth tourism, alleged exploitation of U. S. citizenship laws and past criminal cases involving human smuggling from Saipan to Guam.
The senators argued that visafree access has enabled“ a veritable cottage industry” of Chinese nationals giving birth in Saipan, pointing to federal prosecutions and media reports documenting the practice over the past decade.( Bryan Manabat)
pivoted the CNMI away from the China market in 2023 due to the escalating tension between Washington and Beijing.
Guerrero said the chamber welcomed the Apatang administration’ s new position, pointing out that tourists from China, South Korea, Japan and new markets will help diversify the CNMI’ s tourism markets and lower risks associated with relying on just one or two markets.“ The United States mainland and Hawaii welcome tourists from China, so we should be no different,” he added.
Sasamoto emphasized the need to maintain and enhance current airline partnerships while developing new partnerships and routes.
Guerrero sees positive signs in upcoming new flights from Hong Kong and the Philippines, as well as modest increases in construction from federally funded disaster-related rehabilitation projects, as well as U. S. military activities on Tinian, Saipan and Rota.
With a focus on local entrepreneurs, Bermudes said the advisory council is supporting small businesses and teaching them how to land federal contracts.
Sasamoto said the closures of DFS and the Hyatt Regency Saipan were“ extremely unfortunate,” but they served as a wake-up call. They were stark reminders that one cannot be stagnant or passive in economic recovery and development. One must take a proactive approach to market forces and economic downturns, he added.
“ It also teaches us a lesson on how we can better support existing businesses here in the Marianas,” Sasamoto said.
While CEDA focuses on attracting investment from outside, Sasamoto said existing businesses in its backyard must not be overlooked as they are the lifeblood of the local economy.“ When you consider job retention, as well as job creation within these businesses and how this condition affects the community, the impact is significant,” he added.
Still, one must not lose sight of the CNMI’ s main economic driver, Guerrero said.“ One thing is clear, especially in looking at what is happening in Guam now: we should not turn our attention and care away from our core industry, tourism. Without tourism, the success of other industries may be compromised.”
( With additional report from Mar-Vic Cagurangan)
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