by Krystal Paco

Guam - It's the tip of the iceberg as Joint Region Marianas celebrated the completion of the first two U.S. Marine Corps relocation projects on Naval Base Guam this morning.

Rear Admiral Tilghman Payne says today's celebration is more than just a ribbon cutting, but a celebration of what's to come.

"This welcome center is just the tip of the iceberg. Uniform and Tango Wharfs in the distance suffered major damage in an earthquake about 20 years ago, left them unusable for our ships and this project that we're ribbon cutting and celebrating today has completely revitalized that real estate which directly supports our current and future operations," he explained.

Payne says the wharf not only opens the door for larger vessels and new missions, but also increases the ability for Guam to receive supplies coming through the commercial port to support the increasing military buildup.

Both projects were U.S. and Japan funded totaling over $80 million.