The Northern Marianas government has asked the United States Defence Department to yet again extend the deadline for public submissions on its proposed live-fire plans for the territory.
The governor, Eloy Inos, says an extension to the deadline for submissions on the military's draft Environmental Impact Statement is necessary because of the impact of Typhoon Soudelor.
Mr Inos says with a territory-wide cleanup underway to restore essential services damaged by the typhoon last week the community is unlikely to have time to prepare submissions.
The US military plans to use the islands of Tinian and Pagan for live-fire missile training and amphibous landings as part of its expansion into the Asia-Pacific region.
The military has already extended the deadline once before, after the territory's sole undersea fiber optic cable was severed last month, cutting communication with the outside world.
Pagan Island Photo: Supplied