The Office of Government Accountability has determined that the Ministry of Defense has not yet developed a clear strategy to guide the construction, deployment and long-term management of its missile defense buildings under construction.
The office is concerned that without such a plan, efforts could potentially cost and plan overspending, and the infrastructure is not ready to accommodate the other personnel needed to operate the defensive shield.
In a report released on May 22, government regulators noted that the Pentagon had established organizations to manage Guam’s defense system and now designated a leading service to maintain and operate it, but did not have a strategy to shift responsibilities from missile defense agencies to various service leaders.
“As a result, the delay in the DOD risk timeline is used to deploy GDS [Guam Defense System] “Elements and incomplete programs, training, personnel levels and facilities, etc.”
The Army is leading efforts to build the system on the Pacific Strategic Island and faces obstacles to advocating for the construction and installation support of other good military services in Guam.
The Department of Defense has not yet proposed the number of personnel that needs to operate and maintain the system and estimates when it will arrive, the report said.
“Without a clear staffing requirement or deployment schedule, the service will not be able to adequately plan the necessary support systems, which will reduce service staffing readiness and may exacerbate existing infrastructure,” the Watchdog noted.
At the end of 2023, the Pentagon pointed out that 2024 is crucial to the establishment of Guam’s planned missile defense buildings. As China's threat continues to grow, the Ministry of Defense has pledged to provide basic capabilities to help avoid potential attacks on Guam by the end of 2024. The timeline is already falling.
Guam is an island with nearly 170,000 people in a vulnerable position – closer to Beijing than Hawaii. The island plays a lot of American combat power, so it will be an attractive target for China in the event of war in the Taiwan Strait.
The Missile Defense Agency and the Army sought a $1.5 billion total in the fiscal year 2024 budget to start putting assets in place and integrating capabilities to prepare the island.
The Pentagon designated the Army in 2023 to oversee Guam's acquisition and execution plan.
Fight for resources
The current plan is to distribute the elements of the building at 16 locations on the island and build a Guam command center, the report said. The Pentagon plans to deploy for the first time in fiscal 2027, with the final GDS element in fiscal 2032.
The building is a difficult task, considering the military's previous experience in establishing Guam's final high-altitude area defense or THAAD system in 2013.
THAAD batteries, known as TALON, were first deployed as expedition teams, but were permanently stationed in June 2016 to defend against possible North Korea's ballistic missile threats.
Ten years later, the report noted that the Army did not have enough installation support for THAAD batteries and it was difficult to obtain approval from Navy construction to support the system. The Army's position on the island left it without its own architectural planners, forcing it to rely on other services.
For example, the GAO reported that the THAAD unit was not approved until January 2024 and, after landing on the island in May 2023, built temporary maintenance facilities for the equipment.
GAO previously reported that limited housing in Guam was a problem because the Marines established existence there, and the Air Force and Navy had their own base construction priorities to compete for the resources needed for missile defense systems. (LCPL. Garrett Gillespie/US Marine Corps)
The device also has limited storage space for parts and certain parts must be placed on an unprotected exterior, resulting in persistent corrosion problems.
Gao Gao discovered that severe conditions led to “morality challenges”. The THAAD unit just installed a toilet with tap water and an ice machine in 2023. There is still no drinking water at the site.
The report notes that the Army will need more facilities to support new missile defense buildings and hopes to “make Guam the sphere of remit.”
Gao said the Army will continue to rely on installation support from other services as it will not establish its own base on the island.
“The Army may face the challenge of advocating construction priorities and coordinate installation support at multiple locations.”
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is seeking to move personnel to the island’s missile defense system. The Marines also moved 1,700 Marines from Okinawa, Japan to Guam. The report notes that the plan is to move them all by 2029.
The agency previously reported that limited housing in Guam was a problem as the Marines established existence there, and the Air Force and Navy have their own base construction priorities that can compete for the resources needed for missile defense systems.
The Pentagon also works to determine which service will be responsible for operating and maintaining what elements of Guam’s architecture. GAO said there are some internal disputes regarding the division of responsibilities in various aspects of the system.
Determine the density
The report said that although the Secretary of Defense commanded the Army in June 2023 to determine how many personnel the GD would need within 120 days, the department did not complete the task and did not reach the figures until August 2024.
The Army told GAO it is waiting for the Pentagon to decide on the main organization to operate and maintain before determining staffing levels, facility requirements and training programs.
The Pentagon has not yet established a timetable for transferring responsibilities, the report said.
“The Department of Defense has proposed a variety of military services to manage the GD, which makes it particularly challenging to develop a plan to operate and maintain the GD,” the report noted. “Specifically, Department of Defense officials told us that the missile defense program will be the largest and most complex of the department, posing communication and planning challenges among various Department of Defense stakeholders.”
The Pentagon's prospects will face the prospect of “there are not enough facilities to deploy personnel to Guam or install support services, including the security of the site, including the security and emergency management of three different military services bases in Guam.”
Some estimates point to around 913 Army personnel in Guam by fiscal 2028, while another calculates an increase of 4,464 by the same year.
Overall, the island's population is estimated to grow from 17,917 people and dependents to 26,605 in fiscal 2034.
In its report, GAO recommends the Pentagon to develop a strategy with a timeline for transferring responsibilities to leadership organizations and services for various elements of the architecture.
The Army should also develop a “long-term strategy” for its organization as the island’s support command.
The report noted that the Defense Minister should determine the staff required for the building to require “sufficient time to complete the construction of necessary support facilities on Guam”.
