This past July 30th, United States Army Secretary Togo announced that the United States Army will relocate its Southern Command from Panama to Puerto Rico. The Army component of the U.S. Southern Command, which consists of 1,000 civilian and active duty personnel, will be relocated to Fort Buchanan in the northern city of Guaynabo in October of 1999. It’s been estimated that close to $80 million will be poured into the local economy and help create over 300 jobs.
Major General Philip Kensinger commented by saying, “Puerto Rico provides Army South with a great opportunity to continue its forward presence in Latin America.” He went on to say, “the Army South’s mission in not only to support U.S. agencies and peacekeeping efforts in the region but also to aid the 32 sovereign nations in the Western Hemisphere.”
Colonel Brad M. Beasley, Fort Buchanan’s Commanding Officer, said, “I am very excited and enthusiastic about this move. This will send a strong message to all of the countries in Latin America that this is an important area.”
At the same time, Governor Pedro Rossello, a strong advocate for statehood for Puerto Rico said, “I am very pleased because it will bring a lot of benefits.”
Unfortunately the decision to relocate the Army has been rejected by other individuals within the independence movement. Fernando Martin, Vice President of the Independence Party, stated, “It is an outrage that as Puerto Rico approaches its hundredth year as a colony of the United States, and in a moment when the Congress is considering legislation allegedly directed toward the exercise of the rights of people of Puerto Rico to self-determination, that the executive branch would make a decision that increases U.S. military presence on its possession.”
At the same time, on island of Vieques, a major military base for the UnitedStates in the Caribbean, a 120-room resort, plus some 40 apartment villas, have beenplanned for a 40-acre sight at Martineau Bay on the north shore of the island. A golf course has also been added. American Airlines has agreed to provide daily service from San Juan to Vieques on American Eagle flights once the runway there is extended from 3,400 to 5,200 feet. Now the question is this: Is this hotel being built for the people who live in Vieques or for the top military brass of the Southern Command and politicians in the United States who visit the island?
