Asia-Pacific
Guard honors Guam governor for ‘exceptional contributions’ to US defense
Stars and Stripes
July 26, 2023
Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero receives a coin from then-U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Adm. John Aquilino at her office in Adelup, Guam, May 2, 2020. Aquilino now heads U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. (Julio Rivera/U.S. Navy)
The Guam governor’s support of U.S. military aspirations on the island territory has earned her the top award from the National Guard Association of the United States, according to a news release from her office.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, a Democrat, shares the Harry S. Truman Award with U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, a Mississippi Republican and a major general in the Mississippi Army National Guard. The association, founded in 1878, lobbies Congress on behalf of the Guard.
Guerrero’s record of military support on Guam includes construction of the Marine Corps’ Camp Blaz and her assistance to the USS Theodore Roosevelt during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Tuesday release. The aircraft carrier was sidelined on Guam for several months following an outbreak in March 2020.
The Truman Award “is the highest recognition conferred upon an individual” by the association and recognizes “sustained contributions of exceptional and far-reaching magnitude to the defense and security of the United States and its territories in a manner worthy of recognition at the national level,” according to Guerrero’s office.
Top-tier military officers endorsed her nomination for the award by Dr. Michael Cruz, an Army colonel and adjutant general of the Guam National Guard.
“Governor Guerrero has secured community support for a plethora of United States security initiatives,” Adm. John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, wrote in his endorsement, according to her office. “She has been instrumental in the ongoing coordination of the Defense Policy Review Initiative and the establishment of Camp Blaz, as well as the Pacific Deterrence Initiative activities at Anderson Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam.”
Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero accepts a commemorative plaque from then-Joint Region Marianas commander Rear Adm. John Menoni, at Naval Base Guam, June 4, 2020, as the USS Theodore Roosevelt prepares to depart the island. (Kelsey Eades/U.S. Navy)
Under the Pacific Defense Initiative, the Defense Department seeks to bolster its ability to counter China’s rising military power in the Western Pacific. The DOD budget for fiscal 2024 seeks $9.1 billion, a 40% increase over current funding, for projects in Guam, the Mariana Islands, the Philippines, Japan and Australia as part of the initiative, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said a DOD news release March 13.
Guam, site of Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard bases, figures prominently in the initiative, and the DOD is asking $1.5 billion to build a missile-defense system there as a shield “against the missile threat from China,” the release states. Environmental surveys and public hearings for the Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense System are underway.
Gen. David Berger, former commandant of the Marine Corps, also endorsed the governor’s nomination, according to the release.
Guerrero, he said, “is an insightful leader who recognizes Guam’s unique place in the defense of our Nation and has proven to be one of the strongest advocates for enhanced defense capabilities and facilities. She continually ensures that Guam is a gracious host to members of our Armed Forces, and she has shown an unparalleled dedication to building relationships.”