The Pacific Center for Island Security (PCIS), a regional research institute, is concerned about what’s not in the bill. 

PCIS Chairman Dr. Robert Underwood said the house version called for a comprehensive, third party assessment of the military's impact on Guam's worsening housing shortage.

Instead, the final draft simply calls for the defense secretary to provide a briefing to Congress that PCIS believes won't fully incorporate all the resulting challenges facing the civilian community.

Underwood said, “Of course people in Congress are not ordinarily going to be concerned with that so you have to push them, and so I'm hoping that there's greater advocacy for it. And it appeared that there was this in the original NDAA at least on the house side there was this provision to conduct this kind of a study but now it's been eliminated and that's not a good sign.”

PCIS Executive Director Leland Bettis said the NDAA missed an opportunity for what would have been a very valuable review of Guam's housing needs.

He said while the military is planning to build hundreds of new housing units, it's already clear it still won't be enough.

“In fact the Navy requirements at Andersen are gonna go from about 44% off base requirements to 50% in 27. I think the housing crunch is very really and it's gonna continue, and there's money in the NDAA for housing but its not gonna address military personnel, military contractors, H2 workers, I mean the housing crunch on Guam is very and it's gonna continue,” Bettis said. 

But one potential solution is under consideration.

Governor Leon Guerrero announced recently that she met with the Defense Department which has indicated a willingness to open up federal land for housing development.

Bettis says 90% of military housing in the mainland was built by private developers.