[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 145 (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1691-E1692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HISTORICAL RECORD OF FALEOMAVAEGA'S EFFORTS TO ESTABLISH A NATIONAL 
                    GUARD PRESENCE IN AMERICAN SAMOA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA

                           of american samoa

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 2, 2014

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include, for 
historical purposes, information about efforts to establish a National 
Guard presence in American Samoa.

                    [Press Release, Sept. 28, 2005]

  Faleomavaega Requests Expedited Assistance in Establishing a Hawaii 
               National Guard Presence in American Samoa

       Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that as a follow 
     up to his discussions with Major General Robert Lee, Adjutant 
     General for the State of Hawaii, he is requesting expedited 
     assistance in establishing a Hawaii National Guard presence 
     in American Samoa.
       General Lee and I have been discussing how best to 
     establish a National Guard Unit in American Samoa, 
     Congressman Faleomavaega said. We have agreed that the best 
     way is to establish a branch of the Hawaii National Guard in 
     American Samoa. Governor Linda Lingle of the State of Hawaii 
     supports our efforts as does Governor Togiola.
       At this time, General Lee and I have agreed that it is in 
     the best interest of American Samoa that our Guard unit 
     should be a weapons of mass destruction and civil support 
     team which will respond to terrorist threats and natural 
     disasters. Our team will be locally recruited in American 
     Samoa and will be based in the Territory.
       The only remaining issue is that we must encourage the 
     National Guard Bureau to expedite our request. The Bureau has 
     been working on this request for more than a year and, for 
     this reason, I have written to General Lee and asked for his 
     assistance. General Lee is the Commander of all National 
     Guard Units for the State of Hawaii and our branch would be 
     under his Command.
       Once our request is approved, ASG will need to enter into a 
     Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the State of Hawaii. 
     Governor Linda Lingle and Governor Togiola stand ready to 
     sign this MOU and I am hopeful that with our latest efforts 
     this will be in the very near future.
       As always, I thank General Lee for his continued support 
     for the people and troops of American Samoa. General Lee is 
     to be commended for his dedication, commitment and 
     leadership. I also thank Governor Lingle for without her 
     support we could not move forward in establishing a branch of 
     the Hawaii National Guard in American Samoa. I also thank 
     Governor Togiola and, above all, I thank our military men and 
     women for their service to our country, the Congressman 
     concluded.
                                  ____


                     [Press Release, Nov. 16, 2005]

Faleomavaega and Major General Robert Lee Meet To Discuss their Ongoing 
       Efforts To Establish National Guard Unit in American Samoa

       Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he met with 
     Major General Robert Lee, Adjutant General for the State of 
     Hawaii, to discuss their ongoing efforts to establish a 
     National Guard Unit in American Samoa. The meeting was held 
     in the Congressmans Washington office.
       As a follow-up to our efforts to establish a National Guard 
     unit in American Samoa, Major General Lee and I met again to 
     discuss the progress we are making, Congressman Faleomavaega 
     said. Senator Inouye has been supportive of our work for a 
     number of years now and I am pleased that based on our 
     discussions Major General Lee has forwarded my most recent 
     correspondence and also a new Memorandum to Lieutenant 
     General Stephen Blum, Chief, National Guard Bureau.
       Dated October 26, 2005, Major General Lees Memorandum 
     requests allowances for Hawaii to support a National Guard 
     Unit in American Samoa. The Memorandum states: American Samoa 
     continues to express great concern about the lack of local 
     response capability. The CSTs (Civil Support Teams) currently 
     within the region would be hard pressed to support an 
     incident in American Samoa without substantially degrading 
     its own abilities to respond to and sustain operations in 
     support of a local incident. The additional team would be in 
     lieu of creating and stationing a CST, or portion thereof, in 
     American Samoa.
       The team will be stationed in Hawaii with the HIARNG 
     responsible for recruiting to fill the additional positions. 
     Soldiers will be sought from Hawaii and American Samoa. The 
     additional team will operate and train under the command and 
     control of the 93d CST. The primary training location will be 
     Hawaii, with training in American Samoa also being a 
     necessity in order to provide for advance planning and 
     coordination with proper offices and agencies local to 
     American Samoa.
       We are pleased that Governor Togiola of American Samoa and 
     Governor Lingle of Hawaii have joined in to support our 
     efforts and that both are ready to enter into an agreement 
     regarding the stationing, training, and employment of the 
     Civil Support Team. At this time, General Lee and I are 
     hopeful that General Blum will act to expedite our most 
     recent request especially since this matter has been pending 
     for some time.
       Once again, Major General Lee has noted that the Hawaii 
     National Guard stands ready to support its neighbors in the 
     Pacific and, in turn, we thank the State of Hawaii for

[[Page E1692]]

     standing with us. At this time and on behalf of the people of 
     American Samoa, I thank General Lee for his continued 
     support. As a people, we are deeply appreciative of the 
     service he renders in support of our troops and we commend 
     him for his dedication, commitment and leadership, the 
     Congressman concluded.
                                  ____


                     [Press Release, Mar. 13, 2009]

       Faleomavaega Pushes Air National Guard for American Samoa

       Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he is pushing 
     to establish a Hawaii Air National Guard unit in American 
     Samoa. On January 28, 2009, Faleomavaega wrote to Senator 
     Inouye and also met with the Senator on January 29. On March 
     12, 2009, he sent a letter to General Craig R. McKinley, 
     Chief of the National Guard Bureau. A complete text of the 
     letter, which was copied to Senator Daniel K. Inouye, 
     follows:
       Dear General McKinley:
       I am writing as a follow-up to discussions I have had with 
     U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Major General Robert Lee who 
     is The Adjutant General (TAG) for the State of Hawaii, and 
     also Major General Darryll D.M. Wong, Commander of Hawaii Air 
     National Guard, regarding the establishment of a Hawaii Air 
     National Guard unit in Pago Pago, American Samoa.
       Major General Lee and Major General Wong have informed me 
     that you are aware of this request, and that our efforts look 
     promising. I thank you for your support which is critical to 
     our success, and I am hopeful that you will join me in 
     sending a joint letter to Governor Togiola Tulafono so that 
     we may expedite this process.
       As you may know, American Samoa has a per capita enlistment 
     rate in the U.S. military which is higher than any State or 
     U.S. Territory. Our sons and daughters have served in record 
     numbers in every U.S. military engagement from WWII to 
     present operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have stood by 
     the United States in good times and bad, and I believe this 
     relationship would only be strengthened by establishing a 
     detachment of the Hawaii Air National Guard in American 
     Samoa.
       Faleomavaega concluded his letter by stating, ``I am 
     hopeful to work with you on this important initiative, and I 
     congratulate you on being the first four-star General in 
     National Guard history.''
                                  ____


                     [Press Release, June 11, 2014]

    Congressman Faleomavaega Meets with General Wojtecki To Discuss 
                    National Guard Feasibility Study

       Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he met with 
     Brigadier General Timothy Wojtecki, Vice-Director of Force 
     Structure, Resources and Assessment for the National Guard 
     Bureau (NGB) to discuss the feasibility study now underway 
     for a National Guard unit in American Samoa. Colonel Mike 
     Mellor, Branch Chief of the Force Capabilities and 
     Requirements Analysis Division, and Master Sergeant (MSG) 
     Bryan Rotherham, Joint Programs Legislative Liaison, also 
     attended the meeting held in the Congressman's Washington, DC 
     office.
       ``I want to personally thank BG Wojtecki for the update he 
     provided me regarding the feasibility study on establishing 
     National Guard units in American Samoa and CNMI,'' 
     Faleomavaega said. ``In 2013, the House and Senate agreed to 
     my request to include language in the National Defense 
     Authorization Act (NDAA) authorizing a feasibility study and 
     I am pleased that the Department of Defense (DOD) and the 
     National Guard Bureau have formed the study team and are now 
     conducting an assessment.''
       ``BG Wojtecki works under the command of General Grass of 
     the National Guard Bureau, and the NGB is coordinating with 
     the DOD as this study moves forward. With the United States 
     pivoting towards the Asia Pacific, I have asked the DOD and 
     NGB to consider foremost the strategic importance of both 
     American Samoa and CNMI, especially since our military men 
     and women serve our nation in record numbers. BG Wojtecki 
     agreed that this would be a top consideration.''
       ``Other areas that are being reviewed are force structure, 
     demographics, what units would be best suited and if a 
     National Guard unit can be sustained in American Samoa since 
     the local government would have to participate in cost-
     sharing. Also, there are many legal matters which must be 
     addressed, including the need for lawyers to assess how 
     National Guard legalities would fit with local law but I am 
     confident we can resolve any issues that might be of 
     concern.''
       ``One issue that BG Wojtecki and I agreed on, which 
     Governor Lolo also supports, is that due to legal issues 
     American Samoa may not be able to have a guard unit function 
     under the Hawaii National Guard because, unlike the Reserve, 
     different rules govern the National Guard.''
       ``And so, if the study team recommends a guard unit for 
     American Samoa and should the DOD agree, our next step would 
     be to include funding in the National Defense Authorization 
     Act for 2016, and after that we could still be looking at 
     three years out before we transition into a fully functioning 
     National Guard. If we succeed, then the Governor would select 
     an Adjutant General but a Colonel would also be appointed who 
     would work directly with General Grass of the National Guard 
     Bureau. The Colonel would oversee all U.S. fiscal funding, 
     property, and equipment and would report directly to the 
     National Guard Bureau.''
       ``In hopes that we can one day make this a reality, I also 
     suggested, and the Brigadier General Wojtecki agrees, that we 
     should consider having a National Guard unit co-share the 
     Reserve building, and the study team would review this option 
     as a cost-savings to strengthen our case for establishing a 
     National Guard presence in American Samoa.''
       ``BG Wojtecki also informed me that the timeline for the 
     study to be completed could be as early as September or as 
     late as November or December of this year, given that the NGB 
     needs to coordinate with DOD, USAR, and other federal 
     agencies to make sure the study team has the most accurate 
     information possible upon which to base its recommendation. 
     BG Wojtecki and I firmly believe the NGB and DOD must receive 
     input from Command Sergeant Major Iuniasolua Savusa, who was 
     once a candidate for CSM of the Army.''
       ``In fact, they said that the study requires his input 
     since he is the Director of Homeland Security in American 
     Samoa. To alleviate any concern about his time commitment, I 
     was assured in today's meeting that the time commitment on 
     CSM Savusa's part would be minimal making it possible for him 
     to devote all of his time and attention to his job as 
     Director of Homeland Security while also contributing his 
     unparalleled expertise to this historic study.''
       ``I very much look forward to working closely with Governor 
     Lolo to make sure that the study put forward by the team is 
     as strong as possible in hopes that the recommendation from 
     the NGB and the DOD will be for the establishment of a 
     National Guard unit in American Samoa. With the support and 
     the prayers of the people of American Samoa, it is my intent 
     to work hand in hand with Governor Lolo and our local leaders 
     until we accomplish our goal,'' Faleomavaega concluded.
                                  ____


                     [Press Release, Dec. 11, 2013]

              National Defense Authorization Act for 2014

       Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that the National 
     Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2014 contains a 
     provision requiring the Department of Defense (DOD) to do a 
     feasibility study on establishing National Guard units in 
     American Samoa and the CNMI. The House is expected to vote 
     later this week.
       In the case of American Samoa, Faleomavaega has worked on 
     this issue since 2004 with the late Senator Daniel K. Inouye 
     and 2005 with Major General Robert Lee, former General of the 
     9th Regional Support Command.
       As previously stated, ``While I am pleased that the U.S. 
     Congress supported efforts to construct a new $20 million 
     U.S. Army Reserve Center in American Samoa, I am hopeful that 
     the Congress will now give serious consideration to the 
     establishment of a National Guard unit in the Territory as I 
     believe that it is in our national interest for the United 
     States to increase its military presence in American Samoa,'' 
     Faleomavaega said.
       ``During WWII, the naval station in American Samoa served 
     as a critical refueling point for U.S. troops. With 
     increasing tensions in the Asia Pacific region, now more than 
     ever the U.S. needs to reconsider its relationship with U.S. 
     insular areas in the Pacific.''
       After many discussions and delays in Congress, in May 2013, 
     the Congressman provided testimony before the House Committee 
     on Armed Services where he urged the Committee to finally 
     include language for a feasibility study for a National Guard 
     in American Samoa. The Committee decided to include CNMI as 
     well because it does not have a National Guard unit.
       In June 2013, Congresswoman Bordallo offered an amendment 
     at Faleomavaega's request and the amendment was passed. The 
     language is now included in the final bill to be considered.
       A feasibility study is the first step for the establishment 
     of a National Guard unit in American Samoa, and the conferees 
     to the NDAA agreed to include language authorizing the study. 
     The House is now expected to vote on the NDAA as early as 
     tomorrow.

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