Northern Marianas residents across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota have urged US officials to halt expanded military activity in the region, citing gaps in analysis tied to a draft environmental assessment document.
Outlined under the Pentagon’s Mariana Islands Training and Testing Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), the proposal would allow continued and increased military training and weapons testing throughout the US territory’s airspace and waters.
Environmental planner Brian Whitehouse, presenting for the US Pacific Fleet, said the move is critical to prepare warfighters across realistic grounds in “an urgent situation or an act of aggression at a moment’s notice,” RNZ reported.
Limited Coordination
During recent public meetings discussing the SEIS, community speakers called for a “no-action alternative,” highlighting inadequate outreach and raising concerns over scheduling, accessibility, and compliance with federal requirements.
Mona Manglona, a representative from Rota, criticized the draft and associated consultation process, as well as the scale of proposed operations.
“You have produced a 724-page document,” RNZ quoted Manglona as saying. “You barely have given us time to read the document, let alone meaningfully engage and understand it.”
“That is not public participation. That is not involving the community. It is deception. It’s an injustice to our people.”
“This EIS proposes between 1,900 to roughly 2,000 bombing activities annually,” she added, questioning the US military’s characterization of impacts as “stressors.”
Environmental Risks
In support of the pushback, Saipan-based advocate for non-militarization Commonwealth 670 noted that the SEIS draft fails to sufficiently account for cumulative impacts amid worsening climate conditions.
The non-profit also pointed to data gaps affecting marine life sensitive to sonar and warned that increased activity, including a tenfold rise in air defense exercises and expanded submarine operations, marks “a significant escalation in an already stressed environment.”
“Since the previous approvals in 2015 and 2020 … our region has experienced repeated coral bleaching, rising ocean temperatures, and increasing ecosystem stress,” said Theresa Arriola, chairperson and co-founder at Commonwealth 670.
“Yet the analysis appeared to treat many impacts as ‘less than significant’ without fully considering these compounding pressures.”
The public comment period on the SEIS remains open. Feedback is set to influence the final environmental review, which is due in 2027, as the military plans to extend activities past July of the same year.
