Posted on: Friday, June 15, 2001

Editorial
Vieques: What it means for Makua

President Bush's decision yesterday to end military bombing of a training island off Puerto Rico makes clear that such decisions ultimately are political, not military.

The Navy has argued that it must have that target island, Vieques, to sharpen its training. It is, of course, the same argument offered by the Army in Hawai'i for the resumption of live-fire training at its range at Makua Valley.

But Bush said the Navy would discontinue use of Vieques by 2003, saying "our friends and neighbors don't want us there."

The Army here may find those words discouraging, because so far it has failed to convince all of its neighbors on the Wai'anae Coast that they should back its use of the valley for training.

Few people doubt the Army when it says it must have a place for this training. Where the Army has fallen short is in convincing its friends and neighbors that only Makua will do.

Ironically, it was Bush's father who, as president, ordered the return of another target island, Kaho'olawe, to the state of Hawai'i. The Navy argued that it absolutely had to have that island, too.

The Vieques decision leaves Hawai'i in a difficult position. From an economic point of view, the state can hardly afford to lose a substantial cohort of its military, and the Army says it can't perform its mission adequately without Makua.

Indeed, Sen. Dan Inouye argues that a proposed realignment of combat troops makes Makua evenmore critical.

Yet, as Bush's Vieques decision makes clear, politics ultimately is likely to outweigh military considerations. That suggests that the Army must redouble its efforts to win hearts and minds in Wai'anae.