The Northern Marianas delegate to the US Congress says the Department of Defense is expected to start building a troop store on Saipan this year.
Gregorio Kilili Sablan says 2.4 million US dollars should be released by the US Congress to build a substantially bigger shop.
Mr Sablan said construction could begin as early as this summer and be completed within a year.
There are about 3,400 Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard personnel, service veterans and family members in the CNMI who depend upon the military store for consumer goods.
