Army commander may renege on decision to end live fire training in Makua

As our friends in Vieques, Puerto Rico have reminded us, history has proven that we cannot believe what the military says. The new commander of the U.S. Army Pacific may renege on the decision by his predecessor to end live fire training in Makua valley. The AP reports:

The top U.S. Army commander in the Pacific wants to be sure Hawaii-based soldiers have alternate locations for live-fire training before he’ll write off using Makua — a valley many Native Hawaiians consider sacred — for that purpose.

In his first interview since taking command of U.S. Army Pacific, Lt. Gen. Francis J. Wiercinski told The Associated Press that he won’t send soldiers to Makua Valley to train with live ammunition so long as the Army finishes building training ranges in central Oahu and the Big Island on time.

But Wiercinski said he would need to keep his options open on Makua in case the construction of new ranges at Schofield Barracks and Pohakuloa Training Area is delayed.

“If we are successful in completing the live-fire areas on Schofield, if we are successful in completing all of the live-fire areas on PTA that we need,” Wiercinski said, he’ll not be forced to open up live-fire training on Makua. “But if we don’t get that, then I’m forced to look at other ways to get live-fire throughput for all of our units here in Hawaii.”

So Makua is being held hostage until the Army can complete its destructive expansion in Lihu’e (Schofield) and Pohakuloa. This is how the divide-and-conquer approach has been used against communities in Hawai’i, and between Hawai’i and other places in the region.

Construction in Lihu’e and Pohakuloa has been delayed by the cultural sites and iwi kupuna (human remains) as well as the discovery of Depleted Uraniuim (DU) in both places.

June 14, 2011

Army destroys another munition found on Kauai beach

Today, near Anahola, Kaua’i, an area resident found a cylindrical object on Aliomanu Beach. The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports:

Explosives disposal specialists from Schofield Barracks flew to Kauai this morning to destroy a military pyrotechnic device found on a beach near Anahola.

It was the second time in less than a month that the Army’s 706th explosive ordnance disposal team flew in from Schofield Barracks to destroy a military device found on Kauai’s shores.

[…]

The device, an MK 58 Marine Marker, is about 21 inches long and weighs about 13 pounds. The Navy uses it in air and sea rescue operations as a target marker and surface wind indicator. The marker contains two pyrotechnic candles which can provide a continuous flame and white smoke for 40 to 60 minutes.

May 25, 2011

Drones arrive in Hawaiʻi – “the future of aviation”?

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports that the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard recently got four Shadow 200 RQ-7B unmanned aerial vehicles. While these UAVs are unarmed, the military is looking for ways to weaponize them.

>><<

Source: http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/hawaiinews/20110525_hawaii_guard_gets_flock_of_shadow_UAVs.html#

Hawaii Guard gets flock of Shadow UAVs

Isle soldiers will be ready to use the unmanned aircraft should they deploy to Afghanistan as expected in 2013

By William Cole

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, May 25, 2011

A 24-year-old private first class piloted a new $300,000 Hawaii Army National Guard aircraft over Wheeler Army Airfield Tuesday — from inside a Humvee parked on the tarmac.

The Shadow 200 RQ-7B unmanned aerial vehicle, its 38-horsepower engine revved up like a leaf blower on steroids, leapt off its pneumatic catapult and soared over Wheeler and the Waianae Range as its swiveling camera tracked cars driving on the military base.

An unveiling ceremony was held Tuesday for the National Guard’s four new Shadows, a UAV that has had widespread success in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The Shadow represents the future of aviation,” Lt. Col. Neal Mitsuyoshi, commander of the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, said at the ceremony.

Officials said National Guard brigades in 11 states are receiving Shadows this year, bringing the total to Guard units in 30 states.

The Army previously said it had fielded 98 Shadows and the Marines had 11, with the “workhorse” UAV exceeding 600,000 combat hours in Iraq and Afghanistan since it was first introduced into the Army.

The Marine Corps said it has no UAVs in Hawaii, while the active-duty 25th Infantry Division has Shadow UAVs in Iraq, officials said.

The vehicle’s arrival to the National Guard follows an announcement in April that more than 2,000 Hawaii soldiers with the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, along with 1,600 others from Guam and Arizona, could deploy to Afghanistan in 2013.

It would be the third brigade-level deployment for the Hawaii National Guard to a combat zone since 2004.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

May 22, 2011

Teenager finds WW II-era device on Kauai

By Star-Advertiser staff

POSTED: 11:20 a.m. HST, May 22, 2011

An Army ordnance team flew to Kauai and destroyed a World War II-era sea marker today that had been discovered on a Kapaa beach, Kauai officials said.

Officials said the French-made, 30-by 6-inch cylinder contained a small amunt of explosives.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

April 30, 2011May 27, 2011

Army desecrates more Native Hawaiian burials in Lihu’e (Schofield), O’ahu

The Army has desecrated another set of iwi kupuna (Native Hawaiian ancestral human remains) approximately 600 yards from the site of a previous desecration in 2010.

Thomas Lenchanko, a lineal descendant of families from the Lihu’e / Kukaniloko area and spokesperson for ‘Aha Kukaniloko has demanded immediate access to the site. The families have told the Army that the area is sacred and should be avoided by Stryker Brigade construction projects. But the Army has continued to ignore community concerns and have continued destructive activity in the vicinity, resulting in the desecration.

Chris Monahan, an independent archaeologist hired to review the adequacy of the Army’s cultural and archaeological surveys for its Stryker brigade project found that the Army failed to conduct adequate cultural and archaeological studies of the proposed project areas. Monahan calls for a more comprehensive and rigorous study of cultural sites and resources and stronger protections of these sites.

—–Original Message—–

From: Gilda, Laura Ms CIV US USA IMCOM [mailto:laura.gilda@us.army.mil]

Sent: Friday, April 29, 2011 10:05 AM

To: michael.vitousek@hawaii.gov; pua.aiu@hawaii.gov; phyllis.l.cayan@hawaii.gov; shadkane@gmail.com; KEONAHALEIWA@aol.com; Alicegreenwood60@yahoo.com; kawaihapai@hawaii.rr.com; kaleop@me.com; Clyde Namuo; pjrcgo@gmail.com; Kai Markell; Keola Lindsey; Everett Ohta; halealoha@wave.hicv.net; kawikam@hawaii.rr.com

Cc: Lucking, Laurie J Dr CIV US USA IMCOM; ljluck@aol.com; Yuh, Peter Mr CIV US USA IMCOM; Abramson, Kerry Mr CIV US USA USARPAC; Char, Alvin L Mr CIV US USA IMCOM

Subject: Notice: Inadvertent Discovery of Human Remains at Schofield Barracks Apr27,2011 (UNCLASSIFIED)

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Caveats: FOUO

Aloha,

The US Army Garrison Hawaii (USAG-HI) is notifying you of an inadvertent discovery of partial and displaced human remains under the provision of Appendix C (Inadvertent Discovery Plan) of the Programmatic Agreement for the Army Transformation of the 2nd Brigade, 25th ID to a Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT).

On Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at approximately 9:30am, possible human remains were inadvertently discovered in the Battle Area Complex (BAX) project area by archaeological and cultural construction monitors for Garcia and Associates (GANDA). USAG-HI Oahu Archaeologist, John Penman, was notified and immediately visited the project location and assessed one molar tooth to be human and several small bone fragments in poor condition. SHPO was notified by phone of the discovery at 12:05am. On Thursday, April 28, 2011, Dr. Sara Collins, physical anthropologist with Pacific Consulting Services Inc. (PCSI), visited the location. Dr. Collins examined the remains and determined they were human, indentifying one molar tooth and approximately 20 small fragments of a human femur or tibia with a minimum number of individuals (MNI) of one (1).

These remains are approximately 600 meters from the May 2010 discovery.

The fragments were discovered during mechanical soil extraction from a borrow pit within the project area. The fragments were discovered within disturbed soil at the edge of a borrow pit. All construction stopped at the time of discovery and the construction contractor was immediately notified that the entire borrow pit is off limits for construction activities until further notice. The original locations of the scattered fragments were marked and the fragments consolidated at the main concentration. These fragments were recovered within a 2 meter diameter area. The area surrounding the discover location was marked of with flagging. A site protection fence will be erected around the area. The GANDA cultural monitors assisted with covering the fragments and conducted protocols as appropriate.

Laura Gilda

Archeologist

USAG-HI DPW ENV Cultural Resources

808-655-9731 desk

808-384-7796 cell

808-655-9705 fax

Cultural Resources Section, 1513 Kolekole Avenue, Bldg 494, Schofield Barracks (physical)

DPW-ENV Division, 947 Santos Dumont, Bldg 105, 3rd Floor, WAAF,

Schofield Barracks, 96857 (mail)

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Caveats: FOUO

April 28, 2011

Army violated Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations regarding Depleted Uranium

The Army appears to have violated Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations by conducting activities to remove and disturb depleted uranium contamination in the Schofield Range on O’ahu. A letter from the NRC to Lieutenant General Rick Lynch, dated 4/5/11 “APPARENT VIOLATION OF U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGULATIONS AND REQUEST FOR PREDECISIONAL ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE” states:

On March 4, 2010, a resident of Hawaii filed a request with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to take enforcement action against the Army if the NRC found that the Army had possessed or released depleted uranium (DU) to the environment without a license. The NRC reviewed this request pursuant to 10 CFR § 2.206, the process by which an individual may petition the NRC to take an enforcement action.

Based on the NRC’s review of the information in its possession, it appears that the Army is in violation of 10 CFR § 40.3, “License Requirements,” in that it appears that the Army is in possession of DU at multiple installations without proper NRC authorization in the form of a specific or general license issued by the NRC. It also appears that the Army performed decommissioning activities at the Schofield Barracks installation without NRC authorization.

As a result:

The described apparent violation is being considered for escalated enforcement action in accordance with the NRC Enforcement Policy.

A “Predecisional Enforcement Conference” will be held on May 10th, which the public may observe by toll free number and online:

The NRC will be holding a Predecisional Enforcement Conference with the US Army Installation Management Command on Tuesday May 10, 2011 at 2:00 pm CST in the NRC’s Regional office in Arlington, Texas. The purpose of the Predecisional Enforcement Conference is to discuss apparent violations of NRC requirements involving possession of source material (depleted uranium from Davy Crockett spotting rounds) without a license.

The public is invited to observe this meeting and will have one or more opportunities to communicate with the NRC after the business portion, but before the meeting is adjourned.

Interested members of the public can participate in this meeting via a toll-free teleconference and view presentations via a website. For details, please contact the individuals listed in the attached Meeting Notice. The Meeting Notice is also available at the NRC’s website at: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm

Below are a series of email correspondence between Cory Harden and the NRC.

>><<

From: prvs=092cb6278=Dominick.Orlando@nrc.gov [mailto:prvs=092cb6278=Dominick.Orlando@nrc.gov] On Behalf Of Orlando, Dominick
Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 11:45 PM
To: Cory (Martha) Harden
Cc: Michalak, Paul
Subject: RE: Predecisional Enforcement Conference with US Army IMCOM

Ms. Hardin

Attached is the letter to the Army regarding the apparent violation. I think this would be the most useful for your review as it will be the basis for the discussion during the Predecisional Enforcement Conference.

Dominick Orlando

From: Cory (Martha) Harden [mailto:mh@interpac.net]
Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 4:42 AM
To: Orlando, Dominick
Subject: RE: Predecisional Enforcement Conference with US Army IMCOM

Hello Dominick Orlando,

Thank you for the notice. Can you recommend any documents on ADAMS that would be good to read beforehand? Amy ML numbers you have would be helpful.

Thank you,

Cory Harden
PO Box 10265
Hilo, Occupied Hawai’i 96721
808-968-8965
mh@interpac.net

From: prvs=0909e5355=Dominick.Orlando@nrc.gov [mailto:prvs=0909e5355=Dominick.Orlando@nrc.gov] On Behalf Of Orlando, Dominick
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 7:46 AM
To: mh@interpac.net; panghi@hawaii.rr.com; Geomike5@att.net; imua-hawaii@hawaii.rr.com; ja@interpac.net; lanny.sinkin@gmail.com; Honerlah, Hans B NAB02; russell.takata@doh.hawaii.gov
Cc: Michalak, Paul; Burgess, Michele; McConnell, Keith; Summers, Robert; McIntyre, David; Klukan, Brett; Sexton, Kimberly; Joustra, Judith; Roberts, Mark; Lipa, Christine; LaFranzo, Michael; Rodriguez, Lionel; Spitzberg, Blair; Evans, Robert; Schlapper, Gerald; robert.cherry@us.army.mil
Subject: Predecisional Enforcement Conference with US Army IMCOM

Good Morning

The public is invited to observe this meeting and will have one or more opportunities to communicate with the NRC after the business portion, but before the meeting is adjourned.

Thank you

Dominick Orlando, Senior Project Manager
Special Projects Branch
Decommissioning and Uranium Recovery Licensing Directorate
Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection
__._,_.___

Attachment(s) from Cory (Martha) Harden
1 of 1 File(s)
ARMYPEC.pdf

April 27, 2011

Public may observe NRC conference re: Army possession of depleted uranium w/o license

Mahalo to Cory Harden of the Sierra Club Moku Loa Chapter for this information about a Nuclear Regulatory Commission predecisional enforcement conference regarding the apparent Army possession of depleted uranium without a license. Download Meeting Notice here. The public can observe via toll free number and the internet:

>><<

From: prvs=0909e5355=Dominick.Orlando@nrc.gov [mailto:prvs=0909e5355=Dominick.Orlando@nrc.gov] On Behalf Of Orlando, Dominick
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 7:46 AM
To: mh@interpac.net; panghi@hawaii.rr.com; Geomike5@att.net; imua-hawaii@hawaii.rr.com; ja@interpac.net; lanny.sinkin@gmail.com; Honerlah, Hans B NAB02; russell.takata@doh.hawaii.gov
Cc: Michalak, Paul; Burgess, Michele; McConnell, Keith; Summers, Robert; McIntyre, David; Klukan, Brett; Sexton, Kimberly; Joustra, Judith; Roberts, Mark; Lipa, Christine; LaFranzo, Michael; Rodriguez, Lionel; Spitzberg, Blair; Evans, Robert; Schlapper, Gerald; robert.cherry@us.army.mil
Subject: Predecisional Enforcement Conference with US Army IMCOM

Good Morning

The public is invited to observe this meeting and will have one or more opportunities to communicate with the NRC after the business portion, but before the meeting is adjourned.

Thank you

Dominick Orlando, Senior Project Manager

Special Projects Branch

Decommissioning and Uranium Recovery Licensing Directorate

Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection

Download Meeting Notice

March 23, 2011

Ag park and GMO crops planned on land owned by the Army and private developer

The Hawaii Agricultural Foundation is seeking farmer tenants to lease farm lots in Kunia. The land was formerly owned by Campbell Estate, but the Army and a private developer formed a partnership to buy the land and develop a portion of it for military housing. Since the Army’s housing needs changed, much of the land is now being leased to Monsanto to grow GMO corn. And a small portion is being offered by the Hawaii Agricultural Foundation for small farmers.

This whole story raises a number of red flags. Why is the Army engaging in private real estate investment and development? Although the Army changed its plans for housing, the original plans to acquire the land or undergo development was not announced to the public. Environmental review for the acquisition and development of the land was not conducted.

The growing partnership between GMO agribusiness and the military in Hawai’i is also disturbing. In Kaua’i, biotech firms have a special relationship with the Pacific Missile Range Facility to be able to farm within the special exclusion easement surrounding the base. Did Monsanto or the Army conduct an environmental review for the establishment of GMO crops in this area? What is the risk of genetic contamination from these crops? If the crops are engineered to produce intrinsic pesticides, what effects will it have on the environment, such as native insects or fish downstream?

The Ag park is a fine idea, but in the larger scheme of things, it is a fig leaf to cover the other deals being made.

>><<

Source: http://www.staradvertiser.com/business/20110323_Nonprofit_plans_agricultural_park_for_local_farmers.html

Nonprofit plans agricultural park for local farmers

The Hawaii Agricultural Foundation aims to have tenants on a Kunia site by year’s end

By Andrew Gomes

A nonprofit established three years ago to support farming in Hawaii plans to set up an agricultural park for small farmers in Kunia on land owned by the Army and a private development partner.

The Hawaii Agricultural Foundation hopes to interest 10 or more local farmers in leasing the roughly 200-acre property formerly planted in pineapple and sugar cane.

Lease terms — including rents and the length of leases — have yet to be set, though the foundation aims to have initial tenants on the land by the end of the year, according to Dean Okimoto, a Waimanalo farmer serving as the foundation’s president.

A groundbreaking ceremony at the site is scheduled for today.

The land is part of 2,400 acres the Army and development partner Lend Lease bought in 2008 from Campbell Estate for $32 million, according to property records.

Ann M. Choo Wharton, a spokeswoman for the Army-Lend Lease venture known as Island Palm Communities, said the Army initially planned to expand housing for nearby Schofield Barracks on a small piece of the property. But the Army’s housing needs changed, which prompted the landowners to seek tenants for the whole property.

Monsanto in 2009 leased 1,675 acres for 40 years to grow seed corn. The Army and Lend Lease have 680 acres available for lease and are considering possible renewable-energy uses on another piece of the land, Wharton said.

The roughly 200 acres for the ag park is part of what Monsanto leases. As part of the Monsanto lease, the Army and Lend Lease required that 10 percent of the land be made available to local farmers.

“When Monsanto first came to Kunia, we made a commitment to participating in community initiatives that would promote local agriculture,” said Fred Perlak, vice president of research and business operations for Monsanto in Hawaii.

Okimoto said Monsanto committed to help prepare the land for farming again, including providing assistance with clearing the site and neutralizing herbicide residue in the soil left over from past use.

Okimoto, who owns Nalo Farms, said the Kunia site is suitable for a wide variety of crops from tomatoes to pineapples.

“Almost anything will grow up there,” he said.

March 13, 2011

The Pentagon’s Biggest Boondoggles

The New York Times published this excellent Op-Chart graphic of the most wasteful military spending programs. Note that several of the programs listed are military earmarks backed by Senator Inouye or programs that related to Hawai’i in some way.

Missile Defense and Global Information Grid involves many of the wasteful programs associated with the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kaua’i, computer and space warfare programs on Maui and a host of projects related to the ill-fated Project Kai e’e and Navy UARC at the University of Hawai’i. “Net-Centric Warfare” was one buzzword for these “revolutionary” technologies.

Along similar lines, Future Combat Systems was part of the transformation of the Army into modular, mobile, electronically networked and omniscient elements in the battlefield. The Stryker was one of the first elements to be deployed as a part of this transformation.

The Littoral Combat Ship is an enormously expensive program that was awarded to both Lockheed Martin and Austal USA. Austal USA was the manufacturer of the controversial Hawai’i Superferry, which was a prototype for the military’s Joint High Speed Vessel. The Hawai’i Superferry contract helped Austal to establish its shipyard in the U.S., which enabled it to compete for the military contracts.

The F-35 Fighter is one of the troubled and expensive programs that President Obama vowed to veto. Senator Inouye went up against Obama to push for the F-35.

>><<

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/opinion/13arquilla.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Published: March 12, 2011

Op-Chart

The Pentagon’s Biggest Boondoggles

JOHN ARQUILLA and FOGELSON-LUBLINER

As our government teeters on the brink of a shutdown, and Congress and the president haggle over spending cuts, the Pentagon budget should be scoured for places where significant reductions may be made. Not the handful of trims alluded to by Defense Secretary Robert Gates — $78 billion over the next five years, with these savings simply used to shore up spending on other acquisitions — but major cuts to systems that don’t work very well or that are not really going to be needed for decades to come.

Unworkable or unnecessary systems tend to have something in common: their costs are often uncontrollable. A 2009 Government Accountability Office study of 96 major defense acquisition programs found that almost two-thirds of them suffered major cost overruns — 40 percent above contract prices, over all — with average delays of nearly two years. Those overruns totaled close to $300 billion, about the amount of President Bill Clinton’s last full defense budget request a decade ago.

Listed below is just a sampling of what systems could be ended without endangering America; indeed, abandoning some of them might actually enhance national security. These cuts would generate only small savings initially — perhaps just several billion this fiscal year, as contracts would have to be wound down. But savings would swiftly rise to more than $50 billion annually thereafter.

And there’s plenty more where these came from.

John Arquilla is a professor of defense analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School and author of “Worst Enemy: The Reluctant Transformation of the American Military.” Fogelson-Lubliner is a design firm.

March 10, 2011March 10, 2011

Soldier suicide at Schofield Barracks a casualty of war and sexism

The following information about the suicide of Pvt. Galina Klippel has not been verified. A commenter named Bearcat357 wrote on a forum at officer.com:

Media article sucks……and was just told I could post this…..

Female Solider going through divorce was hopped up on pills/booze…..barricades herself in vehicle…. MPs/DOA Police arrive and shut the area down. CID shows up and talks her down and she gets out of the vehicle….. Once she gets out, change of heart….. .45 to the head…. one shot/one self-inflicted KIA…. End of story……

Pvt. Klippel, who was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010, was a casualty of the wars that have destroyed so many individual lives and families. In January, the Congressional Quarterly reported:

Figures released by the armed services last week showed an alarming increase in suicides in 2010, but those figures leave out some categories.

Overall, the services reported 434 suicides by personnel on active duty, significantly more than the 381 suicides by active-duty personnel reported in 2009. The 2010 total is below the 462 deaths in combat, excluding accidents and illness. In 2009, active-duty suicides exceeded deaths in battle.

In 2009, the Pentagon reported that along with a jump in suicides among troops, “An increasing number are female Soldiers, who rarely committed suicide before but now are killing themselves at a much higher rate.”

Two days ago, the AP published an article that reported that female soldiers have much higher rates of divorce than their male military counterparts or civilian counterparts:

For women in the military, there’s a cold, hard reality: Their marriages are more than twice as likely to end in divorce as those of their male comrades — and up to three times as likely for enlisted women. And military women get divorced at higher rates than their peers outside the military, while military men divorce at lower rates than their civilian peers.

About 220,000 women have served in Afghanistan and Iraq in roles ranging from helicopter pilots to police officers. Last year, 7.8 percent of women in the military got a divorce, compared with 3 percent of military men, according to Pentagon statistics. Among the military’s enlisted corps, nearly 9 percent of women saw their marriages end, compared with a little more than 3 percent of the men.

Like all divorces, the results can be a sense of loss and a financial blow. But for military women, a divorce can be a breaking point — even putting them at greater risk for homelessness down the road.

It has an effect, too, on military kids. The military has more single moms than dads, and an estimated 30,000 of them have deployed in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Why military women are more burdened by divorce is unclear, although societal pressure is likely a factor.

“Societal pressure”? More accurately, sexism and unequal power place greater distress on women soldiers.

Poster Girl, a new film about a female war veteran-turned anti-war activist tells a tragic, yet hopeful story. It will air on HBO in 2011. The website describes the film as:

The story of Robynn Murray, an all-American high-school cheerleader turned “poster girl” for women in combat, distinguished by Army Magazine’s cover shot. Now home from Iraq, her tough-as-nails exterior begins to crack, leaving Robynn struggling with the debilitating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).