From Coaling Station to the Tip of the Spear

The United States Militarization of the Mariana Islands

By Dave Lotz. Author and Historian, davelotz@ite.net.

Abstract

The increasing military presence in the Mariana Islands by the United States continues to dominate the people of the Mariana Islands. This presentation provides a chronology of the events and resulting United States military use and development of the islands from 1898 to today with pre-World War II on Guam, World War II base developments, Cold War, Post-Cold War downsizing, and continuing to today’s military buildup including proposal that never occurred, were abandoned, and might occur in the future. This presentation provides a cumulative framework for continuing discussion on the consequences on our island’s environment, economy, sustainability, dependency, and especially the people of the Mariana Islands and the broader trend of militarization of the islands into the future.