An American army lieutenant colonel Howard Eyth has underlined the strategic importance of the Northern Marianas' Tinian Island to the U.S. military.
Lieutenant colonel Eyth was the keynote speaker of Saipan's Liberation Day celebrations.
Lt. Col. Howard Eyth says last year's exercises, Geiger and Forager Fury, are a clear example of the US's pivot to the Pacific.
The exercises saw hundreds of marines and sailors visit Tinian for training.
He says the exercises resulted in marked improvements in individual and unit proficiency, and mean there is an increased readiness to respond to crises anywhere in the world.
