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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, February 22, 2003

No commitment on Stryker brigade for Hawai'i

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

Army Secretary Thomas E. White yesterday said he considers the "Army's position in the Pacific to be critical to the future," and that a Stryker brigade for Hawai'i would provide greater combat flexibility.

"It (the Pacific) is going to be a growth area of the world," White said. "Consequently, we have an intense interest here."

Secretary of the Army Thomas White sees great interest in the Pacific.

Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

But the Army's civilian leader said there has been no firm commitment from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to place in Hawai'i one of the fast-strike brigades centered on eight-wheeled armored vehicles.

Rumsfeld's office previously called for a review of plans for the fifth Stryker brigade to be in Hawai'i and a sixth brigade in Pennsylvania, saying improvements could be made, or money for the units could be redirected to brigades planned elsewhere.

The Pentagon's fiscal 2004-09 spending plan includes $3 billion for the possibility of buying the Hawai'i and Pennsylvania brigades. The Army said it is looking at improving command and control, adding aviation assets such as helicopters, and enhancing joint interoperability.

"Congressman (Neil) Abercrombie asked me about this a week ago ... and what I told him is, the money is in there (the spending plan), and that's where we expect to spend it," White said.

The Army is expected to report back to the Pentagon on the improvements by July 8.

White and other Army leaders were in Honolulu this week for the Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army national conference. About 70 of 89 members of the Army support and liaison organization from around the country attended the five-day conference, which ended yesterday.

White, who visited Schofield Barracks and met with local Army leaders, said he expects to increase the U.S. military presence in the Philippines by about 100 Army personnel to augment U.S. staff heading there as part of a new round of counterterrorism efforts.

The United States is sending about 3,000 troops to the Philippines to root out Muslim extremists in the southern part of the country. It would be the first time U.S. troops would have a direct combat role.

Some Special Operations Command Pacific personnel from Camp Smith are expected to take part, but a Pentagon official said the Hawai'i-based involvement is expected to be minimal.

Asked about South Korea, and what U.S. force realignments may be in store for the country, White said the Army has 27,000 soldiers in the Asian nation. "I think what the secretary of defense is encouraging everyone to think about is, is that the most appropriate posture going forward, or are there other things that we could bring — firepower related, airpower related — to change the type of structure that we have there to better fit the situation as it currently exists."

White also said the latest job privatization efficiency review will move forward in the next couple of months.