Last week, Governor Arnold I. Palacios met with Mr. Patrick J. O’Brien, Director of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) – Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) as part of his meeting with various federal agencies in Washington D.C.
The DOD Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation provides technical assistance and grant funding to state and local governments like the CNMI to help support the military mission in the region, while also enabling civilian responses to local impacts.
The discussions between Governor Palacios and Director O’Brien involved renewing commitments to collaboratively address economic and fiscal challenges, the path moving forward, and the CNMI’s role in national defense interests. Current military projects were also discussed.
Director O’Brien directs the OLDCC and is responsible for the creation and performance of many programs enabling states and communities to partner with the Department of Defense and its installation and industrial bases, including: $1.9 billion program to improve condition and capacity problems at public schools on military installations; nearly $200 million in investments in support of the Department’s Pacific Defense Initiative on Guam; and $200 million Defense Community Infrastructure Program to support state and local enhancements to improve local military value, installation resiliency, and military family quality of life.
The OLDCC has invested about $15 million in the CNMI to grow capacity, heighten communications, and improve collaborative discussions relating to the mission of the U.S. Department of Defense in the region.
Governor Palacios also met with other federal officials from the Department of Interior, White House, and other agencies. He also testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, where he provided an update to the state of the CNMI affairs to Committee Chairman Joe Manchin and other U.S. Senators.
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