im Webb is a former US senator, Navy secretary, and democratic presidential candidate, he also has a long history with Guam, dating back to the 1970's when he wrote a book about the strategic importance of Guam and Micronesia.
"The way that I started this many, many years ago was looking at the tail end of the Vietnam war and where the American bases were out in East Asia, and whether there might be a better way for us to address our national security interests out here by consolidating a lot of the ground units, consolidating our position in Guam and the Northern Marianas with a powerful Navy presence forward, and still being able to communicate the interests around here. So Guam is still really one of the key places, Guam and the Northern Marianas, for us to do that," he said.
As a member of the US Senate Webb took a keen interest in the military buildup in Guam. But key colleagues, John McCain and Armed Services chairman Carl Levin, were among those who expressed concern about the initial size and cost of the buildup. But several years later with a reduced force, Webb says he'd like to see the relocation of marines move more quickly.
