On March 21, US President Barack Obama will depart on a short tour of the Asia-Pacific region. His main destinations will be Indonesia and Australia, but the trip will include a brief stopover in Guam.
Obama's time in the north Pacific island nation that is claimed as US territory will be spent entirely inside the US military bases that occupy a third of Guam.
Guam is under US occupation. Since 1898, the island has been a US colony, apart from a two-and-a-half year Japanese occupation during World War II.
Since then, it has been an important US military base. It currently has about 3000 soldiers, although an increase is planned.
A petition signed by 11,000 Guamanians (out of a population of 178,000) has called on Obama to meet with the community to address their concerns about the military build-up. Serious economic, social and environmental threats are posed by the proposed troop increase.
The petition was initiated by We Are Guahan, which is a "grassroots collective of individuals, families and organisations working to inform the community about the impacts of the build-up".
It states: "The military build-up will permanently change our island and our lives. The needs of all Guam's people must come first, for this island is our home. It is critical that President Obama hear our concerns."
The planned build-up in Guam is related to US and Japanese government plans to reduce US soldier numbers at the military bases in Okinawa that the US has operated since World War II.
But whether it goes ahead will be determined by the sometimes fraught negotiations between the US and Japan over the Okinawa bases.
In Okinawa, opposition to the bases has been fuelled by a provision that gives US soldiers immunity from local laws as well as anger over the failure of the US military to adequately prosecute offences by its personnel.
Anti-social and criminal behaviour by off-duty soldiers — including serious crimes such as armed robbery, rape and murder — is a significant social problem in Okinawa.
In 2006, an agreement between the US and Japan stipulated that about half of the 18,000 US marines in Okinawa would be moved to Guam by 2014. Japan agreed to contribute US$6 billion towards the cost of the relocation.
The build-up will bring nuclear aircraft carrier berthing facilities to Guam, as well as a significant increase in military aircraft, a ballistic missile taskforce, and shooting and bombing ranges. Migrant workers to assist in this build-up will be recruited from the Philippines and the Federated States of Micronesia.
At its peak, the build-up is projected to increase Guam's population by 80,000 people.
The choice of Guam was based as much on its colonial status as on any military considerations.
Jon Blas, resident of the village of Tamuning and member of We Are Guahan, said in a March 11 statement: "We have not been able to say yes or no to this.
"Hawaii said no. California said no. But we were never given the opportunity.
"It's not fair, especially because it is looking like this is going to hurt us more than help us."
On November 20, the military released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Only 90 days were allowed for public submissions.
The February 16 Marianas Variety said requests by Guam's non-voting representative in the US Congress, Madeleine Bordallo, for a longer DEIS comment period were ignored.
Despite a flawed "in-house" process, the DEIS revealed some of the looming environmental and social catastrophe.
Guam already suffers from the existing military facilities and the legacy of their role in the US war on Vietnam. This legacy includes the dumping of toxic and radioactive military supplies.
Located near the Marianas Trench, Guam is a biodiversity hotspot. An example of the environmental insanity of the military build-up is the planned dredging of the island's only hammerhead shark birthing area to make a berthing area for nuclear aircraft carriers.
Practice bombing and live shooting exercises already take a toll on Guam's ecosystem. Highly toxic and radioactive weapons, such as depleted uranium, are among those used. The build-up will increase their intensity and the amount of land and sea affected.
Furthermore, there are plans to extend them to the neighbouring island of Tinian (part of another US colony, the Northern Marianas).
Unlike Guam, Tinian has not had a previous military presence and has a pristine and spectacularly diverse ecosystem.
The social impacts will further marginalise Guam's indigenous Chamorro people. As well as bringing population pressures, the build-up will increase the destruction of the traditional economy through military expropriation and destruction of land and sea resources.
The influx of migrant workers and US military personnel will raise housing prices and strengthen the "military apartheid" that already exists. Military personnel and their families have high wages, and high quality education and healthcare for their families.
Schools and health services for local people are underfunded and inadequate. Locals suffer high unemployment and temporary migrant workers are paid sweatshop wages.
The arrival of US marines from Okinawa was scheduled to begin in 2010, but this may be delayed due to disagreements between US and Japan over the size of the US military presence to remain in Okinawa.
The Japanese coalition government, elected in August, has taken a tougher stance toward the US military than its conservative predecessor.
[For more information on Guam and the campaign against the US military build-up, visit Decolonizeguam.blogspot.com.]