After decades of talk, the US Department of Defense is finally moving forward with several projects on the Northern Marianas island of Tinian.
A beach in Tinian, CNMI, used for subsistence fishing and recreation by local residents. Proposed US military live-fire training would prevent access to this beach much of the year. Saipan is visible just across the water. Photo: Dan Lin
The action is taking shape in a flurry of economic investments on the island, with Governor Ralph Torres saying CNMI companies were now expanding to Tinian as the US military was set to build a divert airfield there.
Among the investments, the Triple J Group of Companies is expanding its operations with the construction of a hotel and restaurant as well as a wholesale store and a beefed-up rental car concession.
The divert airfield on Tinian is being developed as an alternative landing site for US Air Force planes in case the Anderson Air Force Base in Guam is inaccessible.
Meanwhile Torres called on incoming lawmakers from the Democratic Party to work with his administration for the good of the CNMI.
Torres, who is the de facto leader of the local Republican Party, said he would need everyone in the CNMI to work together to improve the lives of its residents even as the islands have weathered two super typhoons the past several years and are battling a pandemic.
Tinian North Field, Northern Marianas, the largest US air base during World War II. Photo: Wikimedia Commons