{"id":162017,"date":"2020-06-01T12:00:15","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T11:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=162017"},"modified":"2020-06-01T05:46:54","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T04:46:54","slug":"the-hawaii-navy-base-fueling-trumps-quest-for-super-duper-missiles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/06\/the-hawaii-navy-base-fueling-trumps-quest-for-super-duper-missiles\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hawaii Navy Base Fueling Trump’s Quest for ‘Super Duper’ Missiles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kauai has one of the Pentagon\u2019s most valued testing sites. It\u2019s an economic driver, but some residents say the military shouldn\u2019t be on the islands at all.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson participates in a group sail during the Rim of the Pacific exercise off the coast of Hawaii. Photograph: Petty Officer 1st Class Arthurgwain Marquez\/AP<\/p><\/div>\n

31 May 2020 – <\/em>H<\/span><\/span>awaii\u2019s \u201cgarden island\u201d, Kauai, is known for its breathtaking scenery and laid-back vibe, a place of plunging waterfalls and cliffs cloaked in green tropical forests. But beyond its beauty it is one of the Pentagon\u2019s most valued testing and training sites in the Pacific.<\/p>\n

In Hawaii, where the military is the second-largest economic driver, after tourism, weapons testing and training enjoy widespread support, but some residents view the islands\u2019 highly militarized state as misguided or even\u00a0illegal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In missile defense circles, Kauai is known for its outsized role in weapons testing at the navy\u2019s Pacific Missile Range Facility<\/a> Barking Sands<\/a> (PMRF), which its commanding officer, Capt Timothy Young, likens to a sports stadium that provides a venue for customers (weapons manufacturers, government agencies and military branches) to train people or test new technology.<\/p>\n

That technology includes ballistic missiles, rockets, drones and hypersonic weapons. In March at PMRF, the US navy and army collaborated in the test launch of a common-hypersonic glide body<\/a>, which the Pentagon described as a major milestone in its goal to enhance its \u201chypersonic warfighting capabilities in the early- to mid-2020s\u201d. Donald Trump said China and Russia had left the US no choice but to develop hypersonic weapons, which\u00a0he described<\/a>\u00a0as \u201csuper duper\u201d missiles.<\/p>\n

Hypersonic weapons fly faster than five times the speed of sound, making it possible to hit targets thousands of miles away in minutes. The US, Russia and China are all investing heavily in them.<\/p>\n

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\"Kauai <\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
Kauai is known for its breathtaking scenery and laid-back vibe.
\nPhotograph: Danita Delimont\/Getty Images\/Gallo Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Young declined an in-person interview but in an email said: \u201cWe test systems and facilitate the fleet\u2019s training that ultimately enable our safety and security.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the island\u2019s third-largest employer, PMRF also provides jobs that are attractive in a community where the tourism and service sector often pay less and are vulnerable during disruptions like the coronavirus pandemic and associated mandatory 14-day quarantine for all visitors from outside the islands<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Young said he appreciated the relationship the base has with multi-generational Hawaiian families. He added that PMRF partnered with local businesses to encourage science, technology, reading and math education. \u201cIt\u2019s not only the right thing to do when helping to educate our young people, but it also makes good business sense to develop a local workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n

Space force comes to Hawaii<\/h2>\n

PMRF will soon be offering even more jobs on the island as Hawaii\u2019s air national guard stands up the 293rd offensive space control squadron using existing infrastructure on the base.<\/p>\n

The squadron will be one of four units administered by the national guard in California, Colorado, Florida and Hawaii. Tasked with space electronic warfare, the squadron\u2019s primary mission will be \u201cto protect and defend satellite communications systems\u201d, said Ryan Okahara, the Hawaii<\/a> air national guard brigadier general.<\/p>\n

Kauai\u2019s mayor, Derek SK Kawakami, welcomes the military presence, saying PMRF sets a good example of how a military base can be embraced by the community through its volunteer efforts, emergency relief contributions, public outreach and openness to civilians.<\/p>\n

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\"The <\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
The Aegis ashore missile defense test complex at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai. Photograph: Jon Letman\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhether we have a military here or not, if we\u2019re making enemies out there, we\u2019re a target and so it\u2019s best to have at least a shield of defense to protect our people,\u201d Kawakami said. \u201cBecause we have a presence here, it makes us less vulnerable than not having a presence.<\/p>\n

\u201cHistorically, Hawaii has been a strategic location for national and international defense,\u201d the mayor continued. \u201cI understand many people may have mixed feelings about that. For myself, I understand the importance of keeping our nation protected and our state protected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Critics of Hawaii\u2019s large military presence are less sanguine.<\/p>\n

Kyle Kajihiro, an instructor with the department of geography and environment at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said: \u201cThe technologies involved in these space programs are not only for defense; they can also enhance offensive capabilities. The expansion of these programs in Hawaii would cause countries who may be in the crosshairs of US war plans to perceive us as a threat.<\/p>\n

\u201cHistory teaches us what happens when other powerful countries weaponize our islands \u2026 If the 2018 false missile alert<\/a> did anything positive, it forced a conversation about how the massive military presence puts a big target over these islands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sparky Rodrigues, a Native Hawaiian activist opposed to the military in Hawaii, called the US military presence, which dates back to the 1893 overthrow<\/a> of the Kingdom of Hawaii, an illegal occupation. The bombing of Pearl Harbor, Rodrigues said, wasn\u2019t an attack on Hawaii but on the US military.<\/p>\n

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\"A <\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
A hypersonic missile launches from Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii, on 19 March 2020. Photograph: Oscar Sosa\/US navy\/AFP via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThey have basically occupied the space, taken the land, denied access to our resources from long ago, and we are now stuck with them holding the checkbook that supports our families.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sentiment has caused a rift in the Hawaiian community. \u201cWe are being poisoned and fed at the same time,\u201d Rodrigues said. \u201cThe military has poisoned our economy, they\u2019ve poisoned our land, they\u2019ve poisoned the air. Every time they do training and missile firing, there\u2019s contamination that goes into the environment \u2026 I don\u2019t want Hawaii to be known as the purveyor of death.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rockets and missiles<\/h2>\n

Base proponents value PMRF as a facility that can accommodate testing and training below the sea, on land, in the sky and in space. In 2018, Japan\u2019s ground self-defense forces achieved a first when <\/a>they launched<\/a> Type 12 surface-to-surface missiles and Himars rockets at PMRF during the huge Rim of the Pacific<\/a> maritime exercises.<\/p>\n

PMRF also hosts the Kauai <\/a>test <\/a>facility<\/a>, operated by Sandia, one of the department of energy\u2019s national nuclear laboratories. KTF, which has operated on Kauai since 1962, has supported more than 450 launches, including a series of experimental rocket tests<\/a> in 2019 to test new technologies being considered for future nuclear weapons life-extension programs.<\/p>\n

Two of PMRF\u2019s most important functions have been for testing Lockheed Martin\u2019s Aegis Ashore and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems.<\/p>\n