Posted on: Wednesday, July 7, 2004

Army to reveal Stryker plan today

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

A three-star general at Fort Shafter will announce today the Army's decision on a $1.5 billion Stryker brigade for Hawai'i.

The options — based on an environmental review — are to go ahead with the project as planned; buy less land for the operation; or scrap the project.

The plan to bring 291 eight-wheeled armored vehicles to the state as part of a new fast-strike concept would mean $693 million in construction projects, the acquisition of 1,400 acres on O'ahu and 23,000 acres on the Big Island, networks of private trails for the 20-ton Strykers, and significant effects on the environment and biological and cultural resources.

Lt. Gen. James L. Campbell, the commander of U.S. Army Pacific, will announce the decision at Fort Shafter this morning.

A second press conference is being held at 2:45 p.m. on the Big Island.

In addition to the "preferred alternative" described above, the Army also examined creating a Stryker brigade with a reduced, 100-acre land acquisition adjacent to Schofield Barracks, and a "no action" alternative.

About 100 people opposed to the Stryker brigade, including the group DMZ Hawai'i Aloha Aina, yesterday delivered a 40-page-plus "Community Impact Statement" to congressional offices here, criticizing the Army plan and environmental impact statement.

"After reviewing the information contained in the Army's Stryker EIS and listening to the concerns of our community, we conclude that the Stryker brigade would be a disaster for the people and the environment of Hawai'i," the group's preamble states.

According to the group, the military controls 34 percent of the land in Hawai'i; its activities have resulted in significant pollution over the years, and a Stryker brigade would add to that.

If the Stryker brigade goes forward, said Ikaika Hussey, a DMZ Hawai'i spokesman, the group will continue to oppose it. "We're going to fight this thing," he said.

The National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to examine environmental consequences of federal actions such as the Stryker plan.

The approximately 3,000-page environmental review states that 1,736 tons of dust would be generated from increased vehicle traffic, an increase of 81 percent over the "no action" alternative.

The plan calls for approximately 480 more soldiers to be added to the 2nd Brigade at Schofield Barracks and 400 additional vehicles, 291 of them Strykers.

Dust can be "reduced substantially" on military vehicle trails, the Army said, through a combination of mitigation measures, including the use of washed gravel for surfacing, road paving or the periodic application of chemical dust suppressants.

The Army also concluded there would be significant effects on cultural and biological resources, but mitigation efforts could reduce them.

Seven Stryker brigades are planned around the country as a middle ground between heavily armored, but slow to deploy, tank units and traditional light infantry with Humvees and trucks.

Soldiers with the first Stryker brigade out of Fort Lewis, Wash., deployed to Mosul, Iraq, said the air-conditioned vehicles, which hold two crew members and nine passengers, could reach 70 mph on the highway and afforded extra protection from small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

The Army said the Pacific Rim is an area "of critical interest" for the United States, and having a Stryker brigade in Hawai'i "allows the president to rapidly respond to events in an area of increasing importance to national security."

The vehicles would be transported by C-17 cargo carriers, eight of which are planned for Hickam Air Force Base, and perhaps by high-speed vessel. Initial operating capability is expected by 2007.

Critics have charged that Congress authorized millions of dollars for a Hawai'i Stryker brigade before the environmental review was concluded. A 30-day waiting period following the release of the final EIS just ended. About 2,000 comments were received on the draft plan.

But Mary Markovinovic, a spokeswoman for U.S. Army Pacific, said initial funding for the Stryker brigade had proceeded because federal budget cycles require several years of lead time.

"Just because we get the money doesn't necessarily mean it's a done deal," she said.

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