2 weeks Ago By Pacific Daily News
China's recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile that flew over Guam and into the Pacific Ocean was among topics discussed by four members of Congress led by Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska when they made a brief stopover on Guam Wednesday, according to Del. James Moylan, who received the congressional delegation at Andersen Air Force Base.
Manchin, head of the congressional delegation, sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Appropriation Committee on Military Construction. Joining them were Reps. Greg Pence of Indiana and Wiley Nickel of North Carolina.
According to a press release from Moylan on Thursday, the senators asked him to join them in a briefing with the Joint Region Marianas. "The discussions included the recent test missile launched by the People’s Republic of China into the Pacific Ocean," Moylan said in a press release. According to the commander of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, THAAD, battery’s Task Force Talon, Lt.
Col. Jonathan Stafford, the Chinese-launched ICBM was not determined to be a threat. Sensors from U.
S. Army missile interceptors stationed on Guam tracked the Chinese-launched ICBM which, according to Stafford, was flying at hundreds of kilometers above the earth’s surface, in outer space, when it moved in the vicinity of the island, and was at no point identified as a threat to Guam. China said it was a regular training launch, and local defense watchdog Pacific Center for Island Security flagged it as a message about China's missile defense capability to reach Guam and beyond.
Moylan's office on Thursday also said Manchin "expressed support for Moylan’s many insertions in the House National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA." “We had many discussions on the priority of protecting Guam and this region, including fully funding the Guam Missile Defense. While Guam does not have a seat in the Senate, building allies with common goals is critical," Moylan said in the same press release.
"Working across the aisle is even more paramount, and I am happy to report that we built a great rapport. I look forward to enhancing these conversations when Congress reconvenes next month." Moylan also said Murkowski introduced a companion measure for Moylan's H.
R. 522 in the Senate, which increases its odds of getting on the floor for a vote "very soon." Moylan's H.
R. 522, which passed the House of Representatives, would make it easier for disabled veterans on Guam to secure adaptive vehicles. Murkowski is the Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior and sits on the Committee on Natural Resources.
Over her years in the Senate, she has been a strong advocate for territories. “I want to thank Sen. Murkowski for introducing a companion measure of H.
R. 522. Our offices have been in communication since we started our term, and discussions have included the support of a companion bill, territorial issues, and securing more support for our veterans," Moylan said.
"This relationship is building, and because of her tenure, she is well respected across the aisle. We look forward to working with her in addressing issues veterans in remote jurisdictions such as Guam and Alaska tend to face.".
