SAIPAN – Senator Celina Babauta is pushing back against claims that a proposed U.S. Air Mobility Command (AMC) Gateway designation for Saipan International Airport amounts to a federal takeover, calling instead for a facts-based conversation about the economic and strategic opportunities such a move could bring to the CNMI.
In a detailed statement released Friday, Babauta said she respects the cultural concerns raised by the Uraali Refaluwasch Association (URA) but criticized the group’s resolution as containing “multiple factual inaccuracies” and misrepresenting what an AMC Gateway designation actually means.
“An AMC designation is not a militarization or a federal takeover of airport operations or its properties,” Babauta said. “No land will be federalized. No base will be established. The airport remains under full control of the Commonwealth Ports Authority.”
According to Babauta, the AMC designation is strictly a logistics classification used to route military personnel and cargo—something already happening on Saipan without formal designation, compensation, or support infrastructure. She argues that formalizing the designation would allow the CNMI to negotiate cost-sharing, infrastructure improvements, and federal investment under existing law.
Babauta pointed to Section 804(b) of the Covenant, which allows for cost recovery when military use becomes “substantial,” but emphasized that the designation itself does not trigger such use or require construction. “Currently, the CNMI is locked out of negotiating these terms,” she said. “With designation, we open the doors.”
The senator also highlighted the financially strained condition of the Commonwealth Ports Authority and said the designation could serve as a long-term solution to help stabilize its operations.
“There is no benefit to doing nothing,” she said. “We must ask ourselves: Can we afford to miss out again?”
Babauta called on community leaders to focus on facts, not fear, and said the AMC Gateway designation represents a chance to secure jobs, partnerships, and federal funding—while maintaining full local control.
Video by Master Sgt. Kurt Mintz 164th Airlift Wing, Tennessee Air National Guard
