Guam - While attending the national conference of state legislatures in Washington, DC, two Guam senators hoped to make the most of their visit by meeting both U.S. Senator Jim Webb and his colleagues with the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Minority Leader Frank Blas Jr. and Senator Tony Ada met with Webb to talk about Guam's role in the military buildup, with the former saying, "One of the things we wanted to assure Senator Webb is that the people of Guam are for the buildup and we wanted to know what we can do to help move this around."

Blas says Senator Webb assured the island leaders that he believes Guam continues to be vital to the defense posture in the Asia Pacific Region and await several requirements such as the completion of the master plan from the Department of Defense and the independent study.  The senators meanwhile also met with senior staff officials from the Senate Armed Services Committee and asked if there was any assistance that Guam could provide to move the process along.

Members of the Senate, including Webb, have been critical about funding for the military buildup.