History of Joint Region Marianas
On December 10, 1898, Guam was ceded to the United States from Spain by the Treaty of Paris. The following February, U.S. Navy Commander E.R. Taussig officially took possession of the island for the United States. U.S. Naval Station Guam was established August 7, 1899, with the entire island designated as a Naval Station and Captain R.P. Leary designated as commanding officer and governor of Guam.
When the U.S. entered World War I on April 6, 1917, the German commerce raider SMS Cormoran was anchored in Apra Harbor. On April 7, 1917, Navy Captain Roy C. Smith, the military governor of Guam, informed the German captain of the state of war and demanded surrender of the ship and crew. Rather than surrender, the German crew scuttled their vessel. This incident marked the first shots fired between the U.S. and Germany in World War I, as well as the capture of the first German prisoners of war by U.S. forces.
Naval Station Guam controlled the island until Japanese forces captured it on December 10, 1941. Guam remained under Japanese occupation until July 21, 1944, when U.S. forces landed to begin liberation. This date is annually celebrated as Liberation Day.
From 1944 to 1949, during the era of military government, the officers who served as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Marianas also held various civil administrative responsibilities throughout the Pacific region.
From 1944 until March 29, 1952, the Naval Station served as a Naval Operations Base. In September 1956, the Naval Base was disestablished and the Naval Station was reassigned under the military command of Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Marianas.
As part of the Navy's shore establishment realignment in 1998, significant organizational changes began to take shape on Guam.
Joint Region Marianas was established to create a unified command structure for military operations on Guam. The organization began initial operational capability on January 31, 2009, and reached full operational capability on October 1, 2009. A groundbreaking ceremony for the combined headquarters at Nimitz Hill was held on February 6, 2009.
Under Joint Region Marianas, U.S. Naval Base Guam and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz maintain their respective commanding officers who oversee mission-specific requirements and operations, while Joint Region Marianas provides oversight of support services, policies, and resources.
The commander of Joint Region Marianas continues to serve as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Marianas.
Current Mission:
Joint Region Marianas pursues quality of life initiatives on behalf of service members and their families; ensures installation support functions are executed on Guam and military leased lands in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); serves as the regional environmental coordinator for Guam and CNMI; and coordinates oversight of the Mariana Islands Range Complex (MIRC).