The Army would like to use 2.75-caliber rockets, flares and inert missiles, and train with air assaults, snipers, convoys and demolitions in Makua Valley, according to a draft Environmental Impact Statement written by the Army.

Also, a little extra space on which to conduct the live fire exercises would be useful, said the draft EIS, completed as part of ongoing litigation between the military and community groups concerned about Makua's environment and cultural resources.

"Makua Military Reservation is vital to the training of our men and women," Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, commander of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) at Schofield Barracks said in a statement. "And we need to ensure our solders are properly trained before we send them into combat."

The EIS was ordered after a settlement was reached following the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. That settlement allowed the military to conduct a limited number of training exercises.

The valley, where the military has conducted live-fire training for more than 50 years, includes more than 100 archeological features and 40 endangered species, causing concern among environmental and cultural groups.

A number of fires caused by mortar rounds and "controlled burns" have raged in the valley. In July 2003, a controlled burn scorched 2,100 acres of the 4,190-acre Wai'anae Coast valley that many Hawaiians consider sacred.

The draft EIS, which was released this week, includes four options for the valley.

Given its preferences, the Army would use the valley for air assaults, sniper training, convoy training, demolitions training and up to 50 company-level training exercises involving tracer ammunition, tube-launched inert missiles, and 2.75-caliber rockets.

If necessary, the Army wrote in its draft EIS statement, it could nix some of the rockets and missiles. Also, if a third option becomes necessary, it could cut back the number of company-level exercises from the preferred number of 50 to between 19 and 28, using the same 1,136 acres it has used in the past.

The fourth option listed in the statement would halt live-fire training for military troops at Makua. All alternatives except halting training could result in "significant and unmitigable adverse impacts" on the land and its biological and cultural resources, according to the Army's statement.

The statement is available for review online and at several public libraries. Meetings will be held in August to obtain public input before issuing a final environmental impact statement.

Opponents to live-fire training at Makua had hoped the Army would list alternative sites for training — such as Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island, Schofield Barracks or the Mainland — and weren't happy with the options listed in the draft EIS.

"The only options the Army is considering," said David Henkin of Earthjustice, "are training at Makua, more training at Makua and even more training at Makua."

Training for a new Stryker vehicle brigade, Henkin said, seems to have precluded alternative sites on O'ahu. The plan to bring 291 eight-wheeled armored Stryker vehicles to the state as part of a new fast-strike concept would mean $693 million in construction, 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 cultural resources.

Henkin, a lawyer with Earthjustice, represents Malama Makua, a preservation group dedicated to caring for Makua Valley, in litigation against the military that dates back to 1998. That was the year mortar fire in the valley sparked a series of wildfires.

Henkin said the Army's statement also does not include a comprehensive survey of culturally important archeological sites.

Large areas, particularly near the southern firebreak road, he said, were left unsurveyed, partially because the Army failed to apply for a waiver to search areas that could contain specific types of unexploded ordinance.

A settlement reached between the Army and Malama Makua in 2001 required a comprehensive search of those areas, he said. He said he believes the Army is violating that settlement.

"If we don't find a way to settle our differences," he said, "we could find ourselves back in front of (U.S. District) Judge (Susan Oki) Mollway."

Army officials refused to comment specifically on Henkin's allegations or in more detail on the EIS.

"The Army welcomes public comment on the draft EIS," Troy Griffin, an Army spokes-man, said in a statement. "That is the purpose of the draft — to gain input from the public. The intent is to make the draft document available to the public, gather input and determine the changes needed for the final EIS."