O'ahu Army to transform

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

By 2006, the way the Army trains in Hawai'i and fights overseas is expected to be radically different.

An Interim Brigade Combat Team of 3,580 soldiers on O'ahu will be equipped with 380 "Strykers," eight-wheeled armored vehicles that can be deployed to the battlefield faster than heavy tank divisions and with more firepower and protection than traditional light infantry forces.

Miles of private trails will be built on O'ahu for troops to get to Dillingham Airfield and Kahuku Training Area.

Schofield Barracks firing ranges will be expanded and reorganized with the purchase of 1,500 acres of agricultural land.

As part of the $693 million plan to turn the 2nd Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) into a fast-strike unit — with possibly the 3rd Brigade to follow — more trails will be built on the Big Island, and as many as 23,000 acres may be purchased at Pohakuloa Training Area for maneuvers and large-scale exercises.

The interim brigade plan — so called because the force is expected to be replaced at some point by "objective" force weapons in development — represents the biggest Army construction project in Hawai'i since World War II, and the biggest change since the 25th reorganized from a traditional infantry division to a light division in 1986.

"It will be a revolutionary change for the 25th ID," said Col. John C. Woods, assistant division commander for operations.

Before any construction is undertaken, the Army must conduct an environmental impact statement analysis, starting with a series of public scoping meetings this week on O'ahu to address concerns. Two meetings have been held on the Big Island.

"The EIS will be very extensive," said Ron Borne, the Army's transformation manager. "It will delve into many of the issues, like natural resources. Cultural resources will be an important part of our environmental impact statement.

Last year Hawai'i was selected as one of four states to receive the prototype brigades at the forefront of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki's goal to transform a postiCold War Army into a more relevant fighting force capable of rapid deployment to hot spots around the world.

Brigades in Alaska, Pennsylvania and Louisiana also were selected. Two at Fort Lewis, Wash. — including the 25th Division's 1st Brigade — were picked in 1999 for the first round of conversions.

Shinseki, who is from Kaua'i, wants to be able to put combat forces on the ground anywhere within 96 hours, have 10,000 to 14,000 troops ready to fight in 120 hours, and put five divisions in place within 30 days.

"The world has changed. We can't predict where the next conflicts will be," Borne said.

"The old way, we could get there slowly," he said, "but with enough force. Now we need to get there fairly quickly."

O'ahu will have all 380 of the 19-ton armored vehicles, which hold a maximum of nine troops with two crew members.

To keep the vehicles off public roads, the Army is proposing construction of one- and two-lane trails to gain access to training areas such as Dillingham and Kahuku.

"One of the areas that we know will be contentious will be if we introduce these large numbers of vehicles (onto public roadways)," Borne said.

To avoid that, the Army wants to build 15 miles of one-lane road from Schofield Barracks to Dillingham Airfield, either using a Jeep trail and going over mountain ridges or skirting them and connecting to McCarthy Flats at Schofield.

Dillingham, now used for air assault exercises, could be used to replicate an undeveloped Pacific Rim airport for training with armored vehicles. Army officials said civilian use of the airport would not be curtailed.

Another road would be built from Schofield to Helemano Military Reservation where it links with Drum Road, a rutted access route to Kawailoa and Kahuku training areas that has been in place since the 1930s. Those portions of roadway, parts of which would cross pineapple fields, would stretch for 29 miles.

At Kahuku, 26 buildings are planned at old Nike missiles sites, including an "embassy" at an urban training facility where blank-fire exercises would be held.

There are 32 construction projects planned, including a "virtual fighting training facility" at Schofield.

At Schofield Barracks itself, the Army is proposing to purchase from Del Monte 1,500 acres south of the base for a brigade motor pool facility and small-arms qualification firing range. By adding the range and overlaying single-function ranges in a new configuration at Schofield proper, the Army will be able to consolidate 21 ranges into four, and create space for combined-arms live-fire exercises similar to those at Makua Valley, officials said.

Although Makua still will be necessary to train soldiers who are not part of the new interim brigade, the Army said, it won't be used in conjunction with the Strykers, because the terrain is not suitable for vehicle assault training.

"Now we have to account for ... the fact that we have this vehicle with a weapons system — machine guns, or a grenade launcher, or a cannon on it — that we have to include in training events," Borne said.

Unlike at Makua, helicopters will not be part of the live-fire exercises at Schofield, the Army said. Stryker mobile gun systems, 155mm howitzers, small arms and mortars are expected to be used. All but the Stryker guns already are fired on Schofield ranges.

Some 4,700 acres make up range areas now, and the combined arms exercises would be conducted on about 900 acres, officials said.

"This range being built is specifically for the Interim Brigade Combat Team, and the (layout) is designed for that," Borne said.

As part of the plan, the Army recently announced it would spend $234 million on the Big Island to improve Bradshaw Army Airfield, upgrade a tank trail from Kawaihae Harbor to Pohakuloa for armored vehicle travel and expand the live-fire capabilities of two ranges.

A larger battle course is envisioned on the 108,890-acre training area, and the Army wants to buy 23,000 more acres that it leases from Parker Ranch for interim brigade blank-fire maneuvers.

Borne said a typical training scenario on the Big Island would see armored vehicles loaded onto C-130 transports at Wheeler. Others would be stowed aboard larger C-17s at Hickam Air Force Base. At least 60 armored vehicles would deploy as a battalion.

The Army expects the first Strykers to be delivered in 2005. Training would not begin until 2006. But Col. William R. Puttmann Jr., garrison commander for U.S. Army Hawai'i, said that is all dependent on the environmental impact statement, due out in 2004.

"The key is to go forward with the design so we've got plans and alternatives to look at," Puttmann said. "But we will not build infrastructure until we have cleared the EIS."

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.

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