Hawaiians Want Army Out of Key Training Area

A high-altitude plateau on the Big Island is the only place in Hawaii where thousands of ground forces can practice firing live munitions. It's also a place many Native Hawaiians consider the spiritual heart of the island. The US military wants to keep training at this spot, called Pohakuloa, so it's ready to quickly send troops to Asia and the Pacific. Its importance to the US is only growing as China becomes more assertive, particularly regarding Taiwan. But the Army's lease for state lands beneath a key part of the training range expires in 2029, and Native Hawaiians upset with the military's history of damaging Hawaiian lands with target practice and fuel leaks want the Army out, the AP reports.

"They have bombed and contaminated not just our land but our waters," says Healani Sonoda-Pale, a community organizer with the Hawaiian sovereignty group Ka Lahui Hawaii. "When does this end?"

• Pohakuloa consists of rocky plains, hills, and brush about 6,200 feet above sea level between the Big Island's tallest volcanoes, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. It hosts endangered species including the Hawaiian catchfly shrub. In 2022, Army staff discovered ancient wooden "kii," or figures, in a lava tube, an underground passageway created by molten rock. Consultants said the figures are from human burials, and state preservationists say they're among Hawaii's most significant archaeological finds.
• Pohakuloa Training Area spans more than 200 square miles. The section in question is only 17% of that total, but it's critically located in between two larger federal parcels. Troops fire munitions from the state-owned parcel onto federal lands.
• Other live-fire training areas in Hawaii are too small to accommodate battalions and brigades. Commanders say it would take too long to send troops, trucks and helicopters to the US mainland for drills.

• The Army prepared an environmental impact statement, including public feedback, that analyzed how the military's continued use of the land would affect plants, animals, and cultural heritage. On May 9, the state land board rejected it after hearing hours of often emotional testimony in opposition. Among other issues, the board cited inadequate inventory of unexploded ordnance and insufficient inventory of ancient burials and associated artifacts.
• The Army is considering whether to appeal. It could also negotiate a land exchange with the state instead. Alice Roberts, US Army Pacific's program manager for training land retention, says the service has had some informal conversations, including trying to understand the state's swap criteria. Buying the land would be a "a big hurdle," for the Army, she says, because two-thirds of the state House and Senate would need to approve such a transaction.