Posted on: Thursday, May 5, 2005

EDITORIAL
Stryker brigade should build on cooperation

Despite an 11th-hour legal hurdle set down this week, the Stryker brigade is likely to be Hawai'i-bound.

In addition to the clear economic promise that the fully equipped force affords, the Army has pledged to ensure that the arrival of troops and equipment will disrupt Island life as little as possible.

Indeed, the Army has been doing a much better job in recent years of involving the community in planning. And as the brigade arrives, it is even more crucial that those commitments are embraced.

Native Hawaiian and environmental groups this week asked the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to review the project. They hope for an expedited hearing, with bulldozers ready to roll to build a Schofield training range. In fact, a speedy hearing would be best for everyone.

But public oversight of the project should not end there. Critics as well as the Army must work to ensure that commitments to contain the footprint of Stryker maneuvers are met and disruptions to Island residents are mitigated.

So far, the signs are encouraging. In its environmental impact statement, the Army thoroughly assessed how the project is likely to affect the state. The report raised concerns on several points, including the need for more classrooms for the children of the 3,800-person brigade. It also considered how to develop the network of trails for Stryker vehicles, with minimal interference to public transportation.

In addition, the Army plans to acquire thousands of acres of land, on O'ahu and Pohakuloa on the Big Island, where the alignment of the Saddle Road will have to be changed. The test will be whether the Army accomplishes this with minimal disturbance to residential areas. Of primary concern to Hawaiians are the risks from unexploded ordnance and the destruction of archaeological sites in the training ranges. The Army has been doing a better job in this regard, working with cultural monitors who will help guide the project.

As much as the Stryker brigade represents in terms of economic development, it's also an opportunity for the Army to demonstrate a continued willingness to cooperate — a willingness it will need to gain a lasting trust with its host community.