Vice President Dick Cheney, on a stopover at Andersen AFB, Guam, addressed US military personnel, reminding them that the island of Guam “may be small, but it has tremendous importance to the peace and security of the world.” He went on to comment on Guam’s growing “strategic importance.” Cheney also took time to present the Airman’s Medal to Lt. Col. Christopher Greiman, commander of Andersen’s 36th Comptroller Squadron, and the DOD exceptional service award to Tracy McVay, wife of a deployed airman, for rescuing two airmen caught in severe rip tides. Cheney also thanked Americans from Guam for serving in the Armed Services, saying “we’re fortunate every day to have you on duty.” He added, “We’re asking Congress for significant increases in funding to enhance the quality of life on our bases.”
A three-month continuing resolution that ended in December inflicted less pain on the Department of the Air Force than it had expected, as procurement and construction continue in the new year. The federal government operated under a stopgap spending measure that stretched from the beginning of the fiscal year on…