'Trusted Traveler' change suggests less trust of potential guests on base
It's going to be tougher for guest to enter Big Navy on Guam, aka U.S. Naval Base Guam, starting Saturday.
The Trusted Traveler program allows authorized Department of Defense Identification Card holders to sponsor guests onto NBG installations without requiring the guests to obtain a pass at the Visitor Control Center.
According to the Navy, this change in policy will better align base access policies and procedures at military installations island wide, will help maintain safety and security, and will improve military readiness.
The suspension of Trusted Traveler is not in response to a specific incident or security threat.
The modification in access requirements will not prevent guests from visiting NBG with an authorized sponsor. Valid DoD ID holders will be permitted to sponsor guests onto the installation after first obtaining a pass from the Visitor Control Center.
The following ID cardholders are authorized to sponsor guests:
Uniformed service members or federal government employees with valid Common Access Cards (CAC) ID,
Military Retirees with valid DoD identification credentials
Dependents older than 18-years-old with valid DoD identification credentials
Contractors and vendors are not authorized to sponsor guests.
All guests must have a valid form of identification (i.e. driver’s license, passport) which will be used to complete a background check at the VCC. The background check must be favorable in order to grant a pass.
The VCC hours of operation to process these passes are Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. In order to enable a smoother transition to this change this weekend, the VCC will be open to issue passes from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 4.