The Governor's office in Guam says the military will account for a quarter of Guam's population by 2010, but denies the huge military presence will intimidate other Pacific nations.
8,000 marines are expected to arrive from Okinawa in Japan and another 4,000 military personnel from elsewhere in two years time.
A bill has just been passed lifting restrictions on foreign workers coming to Guam to work on infrastructure projects in the run-up to the military's arrival.
The spokesman for Guam's Governor, Felix Camacho, says the workers and the military will swell the population from 160,000 to 210,000..
Shawn Gumataotao says this surge in military personnel will provide opportunities for other Pacific countries.
"Governor Camacho has been very clear to the pacific island leaders in many opportunities to speak with them, that here's a chance for us not only to build workforce throughout the pacific but this bill is going to require that nations like Tuvalu, Australia, New Zealand, all of our neighbouring islands in Micronesia, we're going to need their help in the build-up and the skill they're going to learn from the build-up, they're going to be able to take that home to their island nations."
Shawn Gumataotao
