The U.S. Army has completed two public hearings on its proposal to change the deployment of a THAAD missile defense battery on the island of Guam from temporary to permanent to cope with threats from North Korea.
  

The hearings, held on Thursday and Saturday, came after an environmental assessment found earlier this month that a permanent THAAD deployment on Guam won't have any significant environmental impact on the human and natural environment.
  

Lt. Col. Jeff Slown, commander of the THAAD unit on Guam, said the public hearings are a requirement of the National Environmental Protection Act or NEPA process, according to a Pacific News Center report.
  

"We're looking at the socio-economical aspects. We're looking at the environmental aspects, the cultural aspects, other aspects out there that we may need to be aware of prior to the Department of the Army, Department of Defense making a final decision on if we should bring THAAD out here on a permanent status," he was quoted as saying.
  

The commander was also quoted as saying that if the THAAD unit becomes permanent, the soldiers attached to the unit will be able to bring their families to Guam and really become part of the community and become contributing members to the island.
  

The Army deployed the THAAD battery to Guam in 2013.
  

The U.S. also wants to deploy a THAAD unit to South Korea, where some 28,500 American troops are stationed, to better defend against ever-growing threats from North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
  

But the issue has become one of the most sensitive for South Korea because China and Russia see a potential THAAD deployment as a threat to their security interests and have increased pressure on Seoul to reject such a deployment.
  

Seoul and Washington have maintained they have never held any formal consultations on the issue. (Yonhap)