The U.S. House passed the National Defense Authorization Act that includes hundreds of millions more in funding for the military buildup. And in a sign of the growing importance of the Guam missile defense system, the measure also requires the secretary of defense to put a "senior defense official" in charge of the program.

According to a review by the Pacific Center for Island Security, a Guam-based foundation whose mission includes independent analysis of military-strategic activities in the region, the Fiscal Year 2023 NDAA included several significant items for Guam, including $420 million for ongoing construction at Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz, $274 million for base housing at Andersen Air Force Base, and another $34 million for Naval Base Guam.

The group reports that the "defense of Guam" anti-missile systems includes preliminary funding and a requirement for a $398 million independent study to look into system architecture, development and integration risk, and manning required to operate the system.

In a statement, PCIS also said the secretary of defense was also directed to appoint a senior defense official to be in charge of the program, which the group says reflects the "ongoing competition between the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Missile Defense Agency over anti-missile system development. "