Army secretary wants to move more quickly on an agreement for Hawaii live-fire training lands

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS Hawaii AP The U S Army s top civilian leader disclosed Tuesday that he wants to move more fleetly on an agreement that will allow the military to continue using the only large-scale live-fire training range for ground forces in Hawaii Army Secretary Dan Driscoll disclosed he discussed the issue during a meeting with Hawaii Gov Josh Green on Monday The Army leases a key part of Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island from the state and its contract to do so expires in It wants to be able to continue using the land so it can hastily send troops from Hawaii to Asia and the Pacific something that is growing in importance as China becomes more assertive particularly regarding Taiwan A May masses hearing on whether to extend the lease generated hours of testimony against allowing the Army to stay A large number of Native Hawaiians and environmental activists upset with the U S military s history of damaging Hawaiian lands with target practice and fuel leaks mentioned they longed the Army to return the land to the state Driscoll reported reporters the Army necessities the Pohakuloa land which sits on a rocky plateau about feet meters above sea level between the Big Island s tallest volcanoes Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa The world is changing We all know this The threat in Indo-Pacom is more real than ever before Driscoll notified reporters referring to the U S Indo-Pacific Command which overseas military operations in Asia and the Pacific He reported he longed a more aggressive timeline to bake out these negotiations in the coming months rather than waiting until and This land matters the United States Army We have got to be able to train here Driscoll noted Driscoll noted he inquired Green s office to give the Army a list within the next sparse weeks of things the Army can do to help the population What we are hoping to do is figure out avenues where we the Army can continue to contribute to a district that has given so much to our Army and so much to our nation while at the same time acknowledging the very real world threat that we are facing in the Indo-Pacific Driscoll revealed The Army says other live-fire training areas in Hawaii are too small to accommodate battalions and brigades And commanders say they wouldn t be able to deter anticipated adversaries in the Indo-Pacific if they have to spend extra time transporting troops to the region from U S mainland training ranges Green reported he spent major time on Monday speaking with Driscoll and his gang We will be exploring possibilities on the military leases together in the coming days and weeks and he now better understands how pivotal it is to us to work together for the good of Hawaii s people and our land while we all work together protect our country Green mentioned in a declaration The governor commented he updated Hawaii s congressional delegation on the meetings Green reported he would get the region s input as we move forward U S Rep Jill Tokuda a Democrat whose district includes rural Oahu and the Big Island has noted she wants the military to help increase Hawaii s housing supply and bolster Hawaii s water and sewer infrastructure Driscoll visited Hawaii during a Pacific trip that will also include stops in Australia and the Philippines He spoke to journalists in front of two HIMARS rocket launchers which are designed to deliver precision strikes to long-range targets Hawaii-based soldiers with the th Infantry Division are due to receive of the launchers which the U S also supplied to Ukraine to help it defend against Russia s invasion Source