NBG VCC Works Diligently to Ensure Appropriate Base Access

Photo By Valerie Lynn Maigue | NAVAL BASE GUAM (July 7, 2022) - A customer provides his information to U.S. Naval Base Guam Visitor Control Center Security Assistant Esther Santiago, July 7. An average of 235 customers are processed for various services at the U.S. Naval Base Guam (NBG) Visitor Control Center (VCC) every day. A staff of six employees handle the various tasks that are a vital part of the mission, as their services provide integrated base defense by controlling the flow of access to the installation.  

SANTA RITA, GUAM

07.08.2022

Story by Valerie Lynn Maigue 

U.S. Naval Base Guam

NAVAL BASE GUAM (July 8, 2022) – An average of 235 customers are processed for various services at the U.S. Naval Base Guam (NBG) Visitor Control Center (VCC) every day.
A staff of six employees handle the various tasks that are a vital part of the mission, as their services provide integrated base defense by controlling the flow of access to the installation.
VCC services include the processing of Base Access Pass Registrations, registering foreign nationals for Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Screening, conducting National Crime Information Center (NCIC) background checks, issuing Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) credentials for base access, issuance of imagery badges, pier, and house guest passes, and processing agent letters.
The following is a daily average breakdown of VCC services provided to customers:
- NCIC background checks: 85
- DBIDS credential issuance: 60
- Appointment scheduling: 30
- Base Access Requests (both online and in-person): 29
- Pier Passes: 10
- Foreign National Registrations: 10
- Houseguest Passes: 7
- Camera/Imagery Badges: 4
Additionally, there are an average of 14 Agent Letter appointments processed weekly.
“The VCC oversees entry approval requests through an extensive process that begins with the individual whether they be personnel, contractors, vendors, service providers, veterans, houseguests, or agent letter holders,” said NBG Deputy Security Officer John Paul San Nicolas. “The VCC is more than just the processing of passes. Every individual that is trying to attain access for the installation must go through a vetting process.”
Access passes go through numerous steps before an individual is granted proper credentials to enter the installation. Their identity is registered into DBIDS, then VCC personnel collect finger prints, photo identification, and driver’s license information, which is sent to the NCIC to verify the status of applicants, ensuring offenders are prevented from entering the installation.
Esther Santiago, a VCC security assistant, said background checks are integral for the safety of the NBG community.
“We are thorough for a reason – this is our community,” Santiago said. “We have nearly 16,000 people living and working on this installation and it is a matter of ensuring we keep everyone safe and we’re protecting the assets on the installation.”
As of July 2022, the VCC is made up of four civilian employees and two active duty personnel, who are temporarily assigned to assist with the mission.
“Behind the scenes, some may think these numbers are small but these services are all conducted at different stations within the VCC,” said NBG VCC Supervisor Elizabeth Balajadia. “The timing of these processes can vary from anywhere between 5 minutes to 15 minutes or more. But our staff is trained to be meticulous about how we handle each case because it also involves the safety for the community that we serve.”
From January 2022 to June 2022, more than 11,000 background checks - ranging from active duty to contractors and house guests - were conducted by the VCC, according to Balajadia.
“Appointments are necessary, because we’re dealing with more than 500 companies and there needs to be a system in place to keep track of every single customer and their transaction,” Balajadia said. “Because we conduct multiple services, when we receive a request for an appointment, we ask them what service they are looking for and this is noted in the file. The appointment allows us to prepare the customer’s paperwork, so when they come in processing is smoother.”
Balajadia explained that in the case of foreign nationals, they come into the VCC and their initial paperwork for background checks is forwarded to NCIC in Virginia. Meanwhile, during the wait for background check results, VCC staff have already fingerprinted, photographed and prepared the customer’s profile so that if the results of the background check are clear – majority of the work has already been completed.
Active duty personnel or government employees with valid Common Access Card Identification, or dependents at least 18 years of age with valid Department of Defense credentials are eligible to sponsor visitors to NBG under certain circumstances. The VCC, in conjunction with the NBG Housing Office, processes passes for off-island house guests for up to 90 days, which should be submitted at least 30-days in advance. Additionally, eligible personnel who reside in military housing onboard NBG may also submit a request for one-day/weekend visitor pass at least 5-days prior to the date of the visit.
To contact the VCC call [phone]/1280 or for more information regarding installation access visit: https://jrm.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NAVBASE-Guam/ and https://jrm.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NAVBASE-Guam/Operations-and-Management/Force-Protection/

• Date Taken: 07.08.2022
• Date Posted: 07.12.2022 20:47
• Story ID: 424841
• Location: SANTA RITA, GU