{"id":73839,"date":"2023-06-09T23:00:32","date_gmt":"2023-06-09T23:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/06\/09\/military-helps-guam-after-typhoon-air-force-and-navy-pause-pcs-moves\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:10:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:10:05","slug":"military-helps-guam-after-typhoon-air-force-and-navy-pause-pcs-moves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/06\/09\/military-helps-guam-after-typhoon-air-force-and-navy-pause-pcs-moves\/","title":{"rendered":"Military helps Guam after typhoon; Air Force and Navy pause PCS moves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the military remains deeply involved in relief efforts on Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, the Navy and Air Force have suspended permanent change of station moves to its bases there as the region recovers from the damage wrought by Typhoon Mawar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The category four cyclone ripped through the Pacific archipelago in late May, cutting power lines, uprooting trees and disrupting water supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personnel stationed at Naval Base Guam, Andersen Air Force Base and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz \u2014 in concert with the Army guardsmen, reservists, the Coast Guard, FEMA and other agencies \u2014 have all been involved in recovery efforts<\/a>, both military and civilian, and assisting local governments. A combined joint task force led by U.S. Army Pacific and Task Force West is spearheading the military\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Juan Mercado, a civilian duty officer with the 734th Air Mobility Squadron, loads a water tanker on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, June 6, for distribution to local Guam communities. (Airman 1st Class Allison Martin\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson, commander of Task Force West, and all military installation commanding officers in Guam \u201care diligently working to restore steady state to the bases and dedicate resources to all FEMA mission assignments,\u201d according to a Navy news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No new arrivals \u2014 for now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a May 23 naval administrative message<\/a>, Vice Adm. Richard Cheeseman Jr., the chief of naval personnel, announced that the Navy would be pausing all PCS moves to Guam \u201cfor Navy uniformed members, civilians and their dependents\u201d until June 30. Sailors PCSing out of the territory can leave as soon as they secure travel. The pause doesn\u2019t apply to personnel slated for temporary additional duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force took a similar tack May 25, halting inbound PCS assignments to Andersen for 60 days \u201cin order to ensure incoming service members and their families have adequate resources available to them,\u201d an Air Force spokseperson told Military Times. Andersen expected to receive 240 PCS arrivals between June and August, public affairs officials from the 36th Wing, the base\u2019s host unit, told Military Times. Around 400 people have moved out of the Air Force base to their next assignment since the typhoon made landfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\t