Guam radar system included in MilCon award for U.S. military properties
Rockwell Collins, Inc., Collins Aerospace-Mission Aerospace, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was awarded a “$176,979,374 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for High Frequency Global Communications System– Scope Command Next Generation,” according to an Aug. 29 release from Washington, D.C.
The contract supports a ground radio equipment/network infrastructure and associated antenna subsystems in support of strategic military command and control communications, the release said.
Aside from “Barrigada and Finegayan” sites, work will be performed at Lualualei and Wahiawa in Hawaii, Yokota Air Base in Japan, Isabella and Salinas in Puerto Rico and various U.S. mainland and international sites in Europe where the U.S. military has a presence.
Work is expected to be completed by Aug. 30, 2028, and the sole-source award was made by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.
Micronesian countries off to DC again
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will host the first ever U.S.- Pacific Island Country Summit, which will be held in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 28-29, according to a Sept 2 statement from the White House press secretary.
The statement did not list attendees, but Reuters quoted an official that 12 nations are invited, including Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands. Also included is the Solomon Islands, which switched diplomatic relations in 2019 from Taiwan to China, and which declined a request from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Henry to call in Honiara, the capital. The Oliver Henry is homeported in Guam, as part of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam.
In related news, The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs announced Sept. 3 – Sept. 2 in Washington, D.C., that Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Carmen G. Cantor was appointed chairwoman of the Joint Economic Management and Financial Accountability Committee, which oversees management and accountability of Compact funding. Cantor convened the committee’s annual meeting on Aug. 30. The committee allocated $36,968,240 in Compact of Free Association Section 211 grant assistance for fiscal 2023 for the Marshall Islands, as well as $500,000 for the school lunch program in the Marshalls.
Aside from Cantor, the committee comprises Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kitlang Kabua; Minister of Finance Brenson Wase; Dr. Richard Brostrom of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Taylor Ruggles of the U.S. State Department.
The corresponding organization for the FSM is the U.S.-FSM Joint Economic Management Committee. Cantor was also appointed chairwoman of JEMCO. Aside from Cantor, the committee comprises Lorin Robert of the FSM President’s Office; Leo A. Falcam, chief compact negotiator for the FSM; Brostrom; and Ruggles. After its annual meeting on Aug. 30, JEMCO allocated $82,538,423 in Compact of Free Association Section 211 grant assistance for fiscal 2023 to the FSM.
FSM COVID update
President David W. Panuelo the Federated States of Micronesia signed amendments to the regulations guiding Public Law 22-134, the Healthy Border Protection Act. The president’s mandate that all persons wear masks when in public places was removed, but is encouraged. State Governments retain the right and power for mask mandates within their jurisdiction. “It is the opinion of the FSM government that mask mandates in the States of Yap and Chuuk may presently hold more value at present than in the States of Pohnpei and Kosrae, as Yap is undergoing rapid community spread and Chuuk State will eventually receive rapid community spread, whereas Pohnpei and Kosrae have returned to relative normalcy,” the Office of the President said in a Sept. 5 release.
In related news, eight “health professionals” from Palau’s Ministry of Health – including one from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – flew to Yap Sept. 3 to assist with the spread of COVID-19. The team will be in Yap for two weeks, according to a Sept. 5 release from the Office of the President of Palau.
DFS partners in Guam and Saipan to raise funds, awareness of cancer groups
For any purchase of a certain products, DFS will donate $5 to the Commonwealth Cancer Association in Saipan and to Guam Cancer Care in Guam. The campaigns – which run from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31, were launched at the T Galleria in Garapan on Sept. 2 and will launch at the T Galleria in Tumon on Sept. 8.
Customers will also have the opportunity in both locations to participate in a stamp rally for chances to win exclusive prizes donated by T Galleria by DFS and hotel partners.
The retailer will also promote cancer awareness, and the non-profits in Guam and Saipan.
Typhoon hits Korea
Super Typhoon Hinnamnor moved out of South Korea the morning of Sept. 6, about 2 and a half hours after making landfall on the south coast. The country is assessing the damage from the storm – which caused flooding, power outages and fatalities according to Korean and U.S. mainland media. Heavy rain and landslides in August in Seoul and Incheon also caused damage and fatalities.
Korean lifted the pre-travel test requirement for inbound travelers Sept. 3, though arrivals into Korea will still need to take a PCR test withing 48 hours of arrival, or an antigen test within 24 hours of arrival to show they are COVID-19 free.
And also:
The University of Guam’s Triton Athletics and Field House Department and International Health Providers are partnering for a trade arrangement that will provide free physicals for the Triton Athletics varsity sports programs and free advertisement space and social media marketing for IHP in the Triton Athletics main arena of the UOG Calvo Field House, as well as the lobby area.
For your diary:
The Asia Pacific Association for Fiduciary Studies announced Mark J. Spalding as the keynote speaker for the 20th Pacific Region Investment Conference on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, at the New World Makati City Hotel in Manila.
The Ocean Foundation is dedicated to ocean conservation and marine science through various global projects and initiatives. Find out more about Spalding and the Ocean Foundation here https://oceanfdn.org/staff/mark-spalding/ Attendees will hear how investors can potentially be contributors to ocean conservation solutions while anticipating change, protecting assets as fiduciaries, and generating above benchmark return in diversified portfolios.
McDonald’s of Saipan will host its 2nd Annual Golf Classic on Dec. 3 at the LaoLao Bay Golf and Resort, East Course with a medal play format. Net proceeds of the fundraiser will benefit the newly formed Jose and Ruri Ayuyu Foundation Inc., which will distribute funds to organizations that support families and children. Register at the McDonald’s main offices in Guam and Saipan, or at the LaoLao Bay Golf and Resort. For any questions, call the McDonald’s Saipan office at (670) 235-8761. mbj