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01/13/25 - Pacific Air Forces Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Laura Lenderman said the U.S. Air Force’s buildup in the Indo-Pacific region has been tempered somewhat by the United States’ commitments in Europe and the Middle East.
During the Saipan Chamber of Commerce’s Armed Forces Committee meet-and-greet event last Friday at the Crowne Plaza Resort & Spa Saipan, she said while the U.S. Air Force’s budget is significant it has other commitments in other areas of responsibilities or AORs.
“We have a significant [Department of Defense] budget, but we still have these significant commitments in the Middle East [and Europe]. And I think as much as we want to pivot to the Pacific, and we've heard that term, that phrase for many years, and now the direction and guidance to do that, we are pulled in this other direction. So, the plans that we have and the expectations and what we want, especially as an air force, I'll speak to what I know best, but I'll say in the Indo-Pacific, we are still tempered by those other commitments...I think we're seeing potential changes as we're going forward, and we'll all pray for peace and hope that we do find some resolution in both of those two AORs, and that will allow us to more directly possibly fund a resource this year,” she said.
During a stakeholders’ meeting on Saipan last November, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Marianas said construction of the Tinian Divert Airfield Project is around 50% complete, while Pacific Air Forces said vegetation removal on Tinian’s North Field is around 90% complete.
The Tinian Divert Airfield—to which is being constructed largely on the north side of the Tinian airport—will allow the U.S. Air Force to use Tinian as an alternative landing site for its planes—a divert airfield—in case Anderson Air Force Base in Guam is inaccessible due to war or calamities.
During the Chamber event last Friday, Lenderman also provided more clarity on the U.S. Air Force’s role in Indo-Pacific region.
“For the vital interest of peace and prosperity in this region, our presence here is really to deter. Ultimately, that's our goal. But if we're required to move into the spaces that we never want to go into, we're prepared and this is where we would fight.”
The CNMI is part of the DOD’s Second Island Chain of defense against aggressors in the region following the First Island Chain of Taiwan, the Philippines, Japan, and outh Korea, and Lenderman said the Marianas, which includes Guam, is a vital part of that defensive posture.
“Based on the timing that we think, [this region] is probably relevant for this type of fight. This is where we need to be able to posture and project forces out of.”
To this end, the PACAF official said she’s visited Palau and Rota recently to discuss developments and challenges to its plans to project forces out in Micronesia.
“We met with your airport authorities already. We met with the mayor as well, and we're meeting with the governor shortly after this discussion. But we really want to understand what your concerns are, what your priorities are, what your red lines are especially, but also make sure that you understand where we think we want to go so we're not surprising you or infringing plans that you have for any of your ports and your communities. And interesting, when we spoke to the mayor, there's really, I think, a unique opportunity for us to engage in the community in ways that I hadn't been thinking about before,” she said.
Lenderman also was pleased to announce to Chamber members that 51 small businesses have successfully registered to do business with the federal government.
“We're very focused on making sure that we've written into their contracts that they need to move to the maximum extent possible, hire from within, so that we are building up this economy as we continue to build out our military presence... We’re working with our joint partners to develop these achievable and federal statutory goals for small businesses.”
To further help local businesses, she said DOD has made available a full-time APEX Accelerators program in the CNMI.
Formerly known as Procurement Technical Assistance Program, the APEX Accelerators program plays a critical role in DOD’s efforts to identify and help a wide range of businesses enter and participate in the defense supply-chain. The program provides the education and training to ensure that all businesses become capable of participating in federal, state, and local government contracts.
And also, in partnership with the CNMI Small Business Development Center, Lenderman said PACAF has networked local vendors' footprint into this contracting space.
“And it's been growing, and we're seeing higher participation of small businesses who are bidding on these contracting opportunities. We're very supportive of the SBDC.”
She said PACAF has also held several job fairs in the last two years in an effort to employ more and more local residents and subcontract to local businesses in the CNMI as well as leased a warehouse on Saipan to store and maintain critical equipment.
PACAF is also working with the Northern Marianas Technical Institute as it foresees a need for more heavy equipment operators and air-conditioning technicians to support and maintain the warehouses.
Lenderman also assured that PACAF’s involvement in the region will not end with construction at the airports and leasing warehouse to store vital equipment.
“It's extremely important to us as an air force to that we have posture inside the theater and we have the runways built out as quickly as we can and as slow as it's going. We are starting to see some momentum, which is fantastic.
I mentioned the warehouses, and that's just a symbol of what we focus on, and that will be more equipment coming in, so more need for warehouses, more need for those lanes to be filled, hopefully full, but lodging, eating at your restaurants, using your facilities and resources you have in this economy.”
She expects more PACAF activity in 2026, but it hinges heavily on the decision of the incoming administration of President-elect Donald J. Trump.
“I think the next year, we'll start to see hopefully a change. We'll keep you informed as we understand our budget changes. The new administration will be interested to see where they need it and where they want to put additional dollars, so there's a new perspective that might be coming.”
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Story by Mark Rabago
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