Embedded Files
09/22/2025 - The stories came with tears, with fire, and with quiet resolve. On the final day of the Making Waves 4 gathering at the Kagman Community Center last Sept. 19, voices from across the Marianas shared their deeply personal experiences with militarization, a subject described as one of the region’s greatest and most uncomfortable challenges.
“[This is] one of our biggest threats facing the Marianas today. It's one of the biggest threats, and it's also one of the most uncomfortable conversations that our community continues to try and have,” said moderator and former CNMI lawmaker Sheila Babauta.
From Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and Guam, panelists spoke of family histories shaped by activism, land loss, and cultural resilience.
CNMI Labor Secretary and former legislator Leila Fleming Staffler recounted growing up on Tinian, where two-thirds of the island remains under U.S. military lease. She described how 2019 plans to bomb Pagan and conduct large-scale training on Tinian pushed her into filmmaking, determined to preserve stories and sites at risk of being erased.
“There are lots of latte stones on that island, and they haven't yet been studied. And if we allow the military to bomb Pagan, then we will never get to know our history about how we lived in the Northern Islands,” she said.
Maria Hernandez, executive director of the Micronesia Climate Change Alliance, also carried the weight of generations. Her great-great-grandfather resisted federal land seizures in Guam during the 1960s, and her family has been fighting ever since.
“This is heavy stuff, the militarization of our islands. This is the violence that we're experiencing that is not normal. It shouldn't be normal, but when you connect with native communities, not only in Marianas, but throughout the world, they're all going through the same thing,” she said, her voice cracking.
At the end of the day, Hernandez said people of the Marianas should fight for what is rightfully theirs for the future generation.
“Threats to water, threats to our land. And so, you know, it's not unique, and that's really unfortunate. It's sad that we're all fighting for clean water for our children.”
For From Luta, For Luta’s Mona Sierra Manglona, who returned to Rota earlier this year after a decade away, awareness of U.S. military plans hit like a jolt. She recalled waking at 3am to watch a livestreamed public hearing, only to be confronted with maps and development plans already in motion.
“It's that anger and that fire and that passion of, ‘you are not going to come here and tell us what you're going to do on our land.’ And that ‘you're going to use these dollars to bring people from outside, these visitors, to come, and you're going to pay them.’ And if all is said and done, and this does move forward, at the very minimum, what are we going to receive? And even that could not be promised.”
Manglona also took issue with the U.S. Air Force’s plans to build eight concrete pads and six military warehouses at the Rota airport, saying it would actually not benefit the local population.
“There are no plans for job opportunities for local workers. The Commonwealth Ports Authority will vote on the lease. Community input is not guaranteed in final agreements. There is no plan to improve civilian or commercial airport use. And there's no long-term economic impact for Rota confirmed or outlined within their project scope. Very blatantly said with very technical language,” she said.
Hernandez also warned of looming threats to Guam’s northern aquifer, which supplies 85% of the island’s drinking water, as well as restrictions on traditional healers accessing rare medicinal plants at sacred sites.
She also lamented the 2008 agreement signed between Japan and the U.S. to transfer Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
“We were not part of those discussions. That agreement was signed by those two entities without any discussion with Guam. We heard from the national media that we were involved in this. And so, from the very start, there was no consent. There was no consent from our people. We have been experiencing militarization, land loss for generations,” she said.
It’s yet another slap in the face for the people of Guam, where one-third of the island is already occupied by the U.S. military.
“[This] affects our ability to thrive. That's land that we could be using for farming. For sustaining our families and our island,” she added.
And it’s just the beginning as far as the continued militarization of Guam is concerned, according to Hernandez.
“We are also in the midst of just learning about all of the impacts of the 360-degree missile defense system that's being proposed in Guahan at 16 different sites throughout the island. There are about 250 acres of land that are proposed to be cleared. It's an $8-billion project. So, a lot of companies are benefiting from the destruction of our lands,” she said.
Staffler pointed to the destruction of Tinian’s jungle and airfields as military renovations accelerate, threatening local livelihoods such as hot pepper farming.
“What this is doing is really reducing the locations and amount of hot pepper that is available for the people who go out and harvest, which affects many economies that we have because Tinian, like Rota, is very depressed with the amount of activity, which is often a reason that people embrace the idea of militarization and that positive side. But it's also negative in that it affects other parts of the economy, and it's just really hard to accept,” she said.
On Saipan, educator and activist Zeno Deleon Guerrero Jr., board member of MCCA, said militarization is often less visible but no less insidious. He warned about the normalization of war machines through community events like “Pet a Jet,” where children are encouraged to climb on military aircraft.
“This is all part of the militarization process of desensitizing us to violence or these instruments of violence. And we're exposing our kids to this. And they're thinking—growing up thinking that having these jets in our backyard, hearing them on a daily basis, is normal. It's not normal. I just want to reiterate for everyone. This is not normal,” he said.
Deleon Guerrero said he focuses on giving his students the facts and letting them ask their own questions.
“The questions that over the years these kids have come up with, it's always ‘why are they here? Why do they need to be here?’ And I always tell them, ‘You know, I don't really have a good answer for you.’ I have my own personal answer, and I really preface that this is my opinion and I don't expect them to share it because they need to come up with their own opinion,” he said.
He also said until now the Marianas hasn’t seen any data on what ultimately militarization would cost the islands vis-à-vis the sacrifice to its environment.
“When we talk about the economic impact or growth that this brought to our local businesses, which I know some of them do appreciate, and that's okay, I understand. But where is the reporting on the cost that this did to our environment? Right? I don't know.”
From one island to the next, the panelists echoed the same message: The people of the Marianas are resisting.
“And so, the efforts continue. We are still fighting. We're not lying down,” Hernandez said.
The last day of Making Waves 4 continued with the second part of the conflict workshop prior to the panel on militarization in the morning. After breaking for lunch, the summit continued with a Reiki healing session and a talaya fishing workshop before moving on to Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan in Garapan for cultural workshops and a 500 Sails boat tour.
The gathering also delved into next steps for sustaining momentum and a community dinner featuring live music before again closing with ceremonial chants.
Making Waves 4 is hosted by Micronesia Climate Change Alliance, Community Solutions, From Luta, For Luta, Gi Matan Guma’, Sagan Flores, and Tinian Women’s Association.
Report by Mark Rabago
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