Makua study debate
Further study will reveal nothing new

By Brig. Gen. Karl Eikenberry

Our contract with the American people requires that your Army be fully prepared for whatever contingency or conflict the nation may call upon us to resolve. This means that combat forces such as the 25th Infantry Tropic Lightning Division must always be at a high state of readiness — readiness that can only be attained through tough, realistic training.

Brig. Gen. Karl Eikenberry describes the military training that takes place in Makua on a recent tour to the valley. Advertiser library photo

This complex live-fire training is designed to train infantry companies of some 150 soldiers led by a young captain around 27 years old. The company must assault an enemy position while supported by combat engineers, mortar and artillery fire and attack helicopters. This is extremely demanding training that must be conducted by each of our division's 18 infantry companies at a minimum of once a year, during day and night time conditions.

However, for more than 2 1/2 years, our ability to conduct this type of live-fire training has been significantly hampered after we voluntarily suspended training at Makua in 1998. Since then, we have only been able to properly train our infantry companies 25 percent of the time. And, other ground force units that use Makua, such as your National Guard, Reserve and Marines, have been similarly affected.

Since that time, we have focused on a key question: What is the right way to evaluate the impact our proposed training could have at Makua?

The environmental assessment we have just completed is the answer to that question. It is a comprehensive, scientifically objective and inclusive document that ensures we protect the land under our stewardship.

We say comprehensive because within the environmental assessment we evaluated all reasonable alternatives to company combined-arms live-fire training at Makua. We are confident that this study shows conclusively that none of these options are viable alternatives for the Tropic Lightning Division as it is presently organized.

We say our environmental assessment is scientifically objective because we have sought and received opinions supporting our analysis from expert agencies outside of the Army. We have consulted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has issued an opinion that our proposed resumption of training would have "no jeopardy" on endangered species in Makua.

We have reached an agreement with federal and state authorities for the protection of cultural and historic sites at Makua. Based upon the available scientific evidence and rigorous analysis, we are confident that we can return to training while safeguarding the land in Makua.

Finally, we say the environmental assessment is inclusive because we have taken great care to ask for and consider the views of all members of the local community and to address their concerns.

Addressing these community concerns will not end with today's decision. We will continue to reach out to the community and seek to be a good neighbor to all.

We are also working to schedule vehicle convoy times to ensure that the movement of our vehicles and soldiers through the community is conducted during off-peak hours. And we are working closely with the community to provide access to the cultural sites located within Makua.

And we have implemented a comprehensive Wild Land Fire Management Plan that some have said may be the best fire protection plan of any piece of training land in the country.

Our studies conclusively establish that we can resume training at Makua while protecting the environment. Given this, and our obligation to train our soldiers for combat, returning to training at Makua is logically and legally the right thing to do.

We are not unmindful of those who have called for us to do an environmental impact statement for our training at Makua. Our answer to these comments is simply to say, "please read our environmental assessment." We are confident that our environmental assessment conclusively shows that an EIS is not necessary and not warranted by the facts and our analysis.

As steward of resources entrusted to us by the American people, we cannot agree to conduct a needless and expensive study that won't tell us anything that we don't already know from our environmental assessment.

This was not an easy decision and we realize Makua is a passionate issue for many people. But, readiness and soldiers' lives are a passionate issue for us, too.

Our soldiers will ultimately be the ones who must answer our nation's call. When this call comes, the Army in Hawai'i must be trained and ready to fight and to win. The time to train is not then — the time to train is now. Makua is the only place in Hawai'i where our soldiers can conduct combined-arms company-level live-fire exercises. This training keeps soldiers alive on the battlefield. This is literally a matter of life or death.

Our inability to conduct the required number of company combined-arms live-fire exercises over the past 2ý years has affected the combat readiness of our division, our young leaders and their soldiers.

We, your Army, had to make a decision on Makua. We will continue our dialogue with the community and address concerns.

We are confident that our plan for a return to modified and reduced training at Makua for the readiness and safety of our soldiers is the right thing to do.

Brig. Gen. Karl Eikenberry was the 25th Infantry Division (Light) assistant division commander for support before leaving Friday for a new assignment at the Pentagon. This article is excerpted from remarks delivered last week.